Principal speaker
Professor Peter Fairbrother
Abstract: Trade unions face challenges in an increasingly global world. Much of the analysis of unions in the current period, reflected in the relatively long standing debates about union renewal, focuses on union organisation and union capacities (Lévesque and Murray 2010, 2012). While opening up critical questions about union capacities and the process of capacity building, the focus of this paper is on unions as institutions, operating in complex settings, able to draw on power resources in different ways (Fairbrother et al., 2013). The argument is that we must develop an analysis of trade unionism that considers the processes of capacity building in the context of the socio-political arrangements in which they operate. To explore these themes I examine unions in specific regions, addressing global questions, such as inward investment, transition to a low carbon economy, and the associated uncertainties about employment. Drawing on extensive research, I propose a reconsideration of theories about unions, addressing organisation, capacities and purpose.
- Fairbrother, P., Hennebert, M-A., and Lévesque, C. (Eds) (2013) Transnational Trade Unionism: Building Union Power, New York and London: Routledge.
- Lévesque, C., and Murray, G. (2010) ‘Understanding Union Power: Resources and Capabilities for Renewing Union Capacity.’ Transfer, 16 (3): 333-350.
- Lévesque, C., and Murray, G. (2012) ‘Renewing Union Narrative Resources: How Union Capabilities Make a Difference’, British Journal of Industrial Relations, first published online: 22 Nov 2012, DOI: 10.1111/bjir.12002.
Speaker: Peter Fairbrother is a Professor of International Employment Relations and Director of the Centre for Sustainable Organisations and Work at RMIT University. He is also a core researcher at the Interuniversity Research Centre on Globalisation and Work (CRIMT).
He has published ten books and numerous articles and book chapters. Over the last four years he has led a series of research teams addressing questions relating to regional structural adjustment (www.rmit.edu.au/bus/csow see projects).
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