Heft36 1 - SFB 580 - Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena

INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS REFERENCES LITERATUR IN THE UKRAINE
approaches to some extent constrains the
bottom-up formation of its affiliated unions
(as also claimed by Mandel 2004). Whereas
from 1989 on independent trade unions
have consistently increased their presence,
they have still remained under-resourced in
their capacities and too small to break the
dominance of the FPU. They are recognized
by the state and could have influenced certain
policy areas (e.g. the new law on miners’ work
allocating many additional privileges to miners
was initiated by the independent miners’
union). However, much needs to be changed
to ensure the implementation of their trade
union vision.
NOTES
1
Here, the four “critical axes of structural change” were argued
to have shaped the simultaneous changes in IR and their institutions
(Martin 2008: 141).
2
For example, in the public budget sector, IR are in crisis and
workers’ interest is hardly articulated. In contrast, in the privatized
sector IR are found turbulent as a result of the bargaining
power of actors. Yet in the new private sector no unions exist; IR,
thus, are informalized. Lastly, foreign companies were claimed to
follow their international IR practices.
3
Once socialism collapses, the countries of the former Soviet
block legally commit to the freedoms of association and collective
bargaining, as well as establish procedure for strikes and wages
determination in convergence or resemblance of those found in
established capitalist economies and formalized in the form of
the ILO International Labour Standards and European Social
Model.
4
See, for example, Ashwin (2004), Borisov und Clarke (2006),
Casale (1997), Cox und Mason (2000), Gerchikov (1995), Hethy
(1994), Kabalina und Komarovsky (1997), Mason (1995),
Meardi (2007), Ost (2000), Schroeder (2004).
5
As well known, unions in the socialist system had different functions
(related to productivity and social and welfare benefits).
The degree of differences between socialist and capitalist unions
(even if they appear similar) was so high that Vyshnevs’ky,
Mishenko, Pivnyevet al. (1997), for example, when comparing
different dimensions of unionism, define socialist unions as “antiunions”.
6
Managerial agency can be directive (authoritarian), directive but
welfare-oriented (paternalistic), negotiational (constitutional),
or participative (Schienstock 1992 in reference to Poole 1988).
Seite page 236
7
Certainly, such a strict distinction cannot be made in practice.
Within the formerly socialist Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine
(FPU), for example, there are progressive leaders and local,
or sectoral, unions that already succeeded, or that are on the way to
reconstitution. Given the constraints imposed by non-progressive
and traditionally-oriented leaders in such cases, it is still too
early to speak about a broad-scaled, successful transformation of
ex-official unions.