Trade Union's Future Right to Exist: New Challenges as an Opportunity for Renewal?

Abstract

This paper investigates the decline of trade unions and the reasons for this, focussing on how trade unions can survive in today’s economic environment. Considering the economic situation of certain countries and industries, the trade unions’ position must be strengthened in order to maintain equality in negotiations. However, the pivotal goal is not to protect trade unions but to maintain collective bargaining. This paper suggests that collective bargaining is favourable and that it is important to maintain bargaining partners. One way to do so is to respond flexibly to the challenges created by globalisation. Unionism in new forms of labour should be encouraged and decentralisation should be facilitated.