National unions and transnational workers: the case of Olkiluoto 3, Finland

This article argues, through analysing industrial relations at the Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant construction site in Finland, that national unionism is inappropriately structured for the transnational construction industry. Olkiluoto 3 is being built by a French/German consortium employing mostly...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Work, employment and society employment and society, 2011-06, Vol.25 (2), p.292-308
Main Authors: Lillie, Nathan, Sippola, Markku
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alien labor
Boycotts
Case studies
Collective bargaining
Construction Industry
Employee relations
Employment
Europe
European Union
Finland
France
Industrial relations
International migration
Labor
Labor force
Labor movements
Labor regulations
Labor Relations
Labor unions
Labour migration
Labour relations
Migrants
Migration
National systems
Nuclear energy
Nuclear power plants
Nuclear Reactors
Partnership
Power
Shop stewards
Subcontracting
Subcontractors
Trade unions
Transnationalism
Union organizing
Unionization
Unions
Workers
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Summary:This article argues, through analysing industrial relations at the Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant construction site in Finland, that national unionism is inappropriately structured for the transnational construction industry. Olkiluoto 3 is being built by a French/German consortium employing mostly posted migrants via transnational subcontractors from around Europe. Despite the strong Finnish unions, contractors successfully contested the right of Finnish actors to regulate the site, placing labour relations in a deregulated space between national systems. Although the posted migrants eventually self-organized, Finnish unions remained unresponsive, reluctant to act outside the normal Finnish social partnership industrial relations paradigm. The case illustrates how the nationally based structure of the labour movement is ill-suited to represent a pan-European labour force.
ISSN:0950-0170
1469-8722
DOI:10.1177/0950017011398901