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In manufacturing, strong trade unions have influenced debates on industrial and investment policy, as well as how technological change is taking place at the workplace.
Our examples from Brasil and Germany show how a combination of institutional power through co-determination rights and participation-intensive, company-based projects such as "Work + Innovation" has helped come up with practical solutions at the company level.
Such innovations on the ground have strengthened the understanding that workers embody indispensable knowledge about the labour process and are thus catalysts for successful changes on the shopfloor.
Mirko Herberg+49 (0)30 26935-7458
Julia Schultz+49 (0)30 26935-7493
unionstransform(at)fes.de
In Brasil and in locations where conflict-oriented industrial relations prevail, the ability of trade unions to mobilise and broaden the bargaining agenda to include issues such as investment, industrial, training and upskilling policy is crucial.
If in addition, transnational solidarity is mobilised among the German and Brasilian metalworkers' unions, company decisions can be influenced that lead to more investment, the protection of jobs and the observance of labour rights.
Stories of unions confronting the new world of work / Editors: Uta Dirksen and Mirko Herberg. - Berlin : Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Global Policy and Development, April 2021. - 76 Seiten = 2,6 MB PDF-File. - Einheitssacht.: Gewerkschaften im Wandel 4.0 . - Electronic ed.: Berlin : FES, 2021ISBN 978-3-96250-880-7
Download (PDF) (2,6 MB PDF-File)
If you don't have time to read all the publications but still want to find out about the keyresults, we recommend the Short Stories Booklet: in it you will find the essence of the results presented in short articles.
¿No tienes tiempo para leer todo el estudio? Ahorra tiempo y mantente informado con este resumen. Pas le temps de lire toute l'étude? Prenez ensuite le temps de lire le résumé. Não há tempo para ler todos os estudos? Então, reserve um tempo para ler a versão curta.
The "Trade Unions in Transformation 4.0" project was initiated by FES with the aim of better understanding the representation of workers' interests in digital capitalism. The project sheds light on how trade unions and new organisations of workers are mobilising their power resources to face and shape the emerging new world of work. FES wants to contribute to the strategy-building among workers and trade unions and is offering its cooperation.
The project highlights how workers and unions are shaping change in the industrial sectors, how tech workers are becoming part of the workers' movement, how transport workers are opposing the restructuring of their sector through platforms, and what digital tools and apps unions are developing to expand their power in the digital economy.
