How close can we dance? Labour–management partnership on a borderline

Abstract

Recent studies have examined whether labour unions will benefit from stepping out of their traditional role and into labour–management partnership. This article discusses the limits of such partnership, exploring the negotiations prevailing as the union representatives go so far into cooperation that it turns out to be controversial among their members. In order to understand this conflict, there is a need to clarify the content of the labour–management partnership. This article contributes first by presenting novel empirical material from an in-depth qualitative case study. This material indicates that controversies occur when the union representatives start acting like managers, are responsible for decisions that reduce the members’ benefits and distance themselves from the rank-and-file’s point of view. In addition, this article contributes by exposing that close cooperation in long-term development issues need not be controversial. Quite the contrary – this is mentioned as the most positive outcome of the partnership.