Towards a European system of industrial relations?

Often, perhaps too often, the history of organisations is written without due attention given to the actors involved in their construction. This book shows how the role that trade unions play on the European stage is constantly being shaped by internal dynamics, specific political contexts, and disparate national realities.It mainly covers, but also reaches beyond, the period of 2003-2015, corresponding to the mandates of General Secretaries John Monks and Bernadette Ségol of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). This work is a historical fresco depicting not only the political scene of the period but, more particularly, the continuous formation of an international organisation out of its national affiliates – rich in their diversity but thus also diverse in their structures, traditions and strategies.The book traces the major political debates in the EU at the beginning of the 21st century, as seen through the trade union prism: the revision of the European treaties, enlargement to include the countries of central and eastern Europe, and the economic governance of the EU. It then goes on to look at issues linked to the core business of European trade unionism: social policy, employment, social dialogue, environmental challenges and the international dimension. Readers are offered an insight beyond the slogans into the complex process of strategy and consensus-building in the service of a more social Europe