Trade Unions and Interest Representation in the Context of Globalisation

In 1997 the author offered a framework for the analysis of the future of interest representation. The article argued that trade unions, explicitly or implicitly, have to answer three fundamental questions: whose interests they represent, which issues they embrace as relevant for the task of representation, and what methods and procedures they adopt in undertaking this task. Traditional answers to these questions have been challenged by the erosion of former models of solidarity, the increasing weight of competitive market forces, and the exhaustion of norms of egalitarianism. The author suggests new strategies for reviving trade unions' effectiveness as representative organisations.