The Crisis of Social Democratic Trade Unionism in Western Europe: The Search for Alternatives

This book outlines a developing crisis of social democratic trade unionism in Western Europe and examines emerging alternatives. The experience of Sweden, Germany, Britain and France is examined and the historical rise and fall of social democratic trade unionism in each country is explored.
The authors define 'social democratic trade unionism' and its associated party-union nexus and explain how this traditional model has been threatened by social democracy's accommodation to neoliberal restructuring and public service reform. A further chapter probes the policy and practice of the European Trade Union Confederation. The authors critically examine the possibilities for a revival of social democratic unionism in terms of strategic policy and identity and suggest possibilities for an alternative, radicalised political unionism.

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