In this article, we compare trade union training for European Works Council members in Ireland, in Germany and at EU level. The programmes have only limited success in fostering transnational union action. We conclude that the limited transformative impact of unions’ training programmes is not for the most part due to lack of resources. Rather, their narrow pedagogical focus on technical knowledge and skills crowds out the development of knowledge about social mobilization and the construction of attitudes of solidarity between unions.
AppleMWAuWGandinLA (2009) Mapping critical education. In: AppleMWAuWGandinLA (eds) The Routledge International Handbook of Critical Education. New York and London: Routledge, pp. 3–19.
2.
ArnspergerCVaroufakisY (2003) Toward a theory of solidarity. Erkenntnis59(2): 157–188.
3.
BallM (2003) Considering trade union education as a community of practice. International Journal of Lifelong Education22(3): 297–310.
4.
BernaciakM (2010) Cross-border competition and trade union responses in the enlarged EU. European Journal of Industrial Relations16(2): 119–135.
5.
BicknellH (2007) Ethno-, poly- and Eurocentric European works councils. In: WhittallMKnudsenHHuijgenF (eds) Towards a European Labour Identity. London: Routledge, pp. 111–149.
6.
BielerAErneRGoldenDHelleIKjeldstadliKMatosTStanS (eds) (2015) Labour and Transnational Action in Times of Crisis. London: Rowman & Littlefield.
7.
BürginJ (2006) Ausflug in die Welt der Kompetenzen. In: KurzerBMathesHScherbaumM (eds) Bildung ist der Rede wert: Perspektiven gewerkschaftlicher Bildungsarbeit (Supplement der Zeitschrift Sozialismus 9/2006). Hamburg: VSA-Verlag, pp. 35–44.
8.
BürginJ (2014) Elefant im Seminarraum: Zur Aktualität kritisch-emanzipatorischer gewerkschaftlicher Bildung. Express, September, pp. 1–6.
9.
ColeM (2005) New labour, globalization, and social justice: The role of education. In: FischmanGEMcLarenPSünkerHLankshearC (eds) Critical Theories, Radical Pedagogies, and Global Conflicts. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, pp. 3–22.
10.
CoxLNilsenAG (2014) We Make Our Own History: Marxism and Social Movements in the Twilight of Neoliberalism. London: Pluto Press.
11.
CroucherRCottonE (2009) Global Unions, Global Business. London: Middlesex University Press.
12.
CurrieDGormleyTRocheBTeagueP (2016) The management of workplace conflict: Contrasting pathways in the HRM literature. International Journal of Management Reviews. Epub ahead of print 18 May. DOI: 10.1111/ijmr.12107.
13.
DemaîtreB (2013) Trade union education: A European perspective. Paper to the ILERA conference, Amsterdam, 20–22 June.
14.
DeraK (2006) Bildung und Interessen. In: KurzerBMathesHScherbaumM (eds) Bildung ist der Rede wert (Supplement der Zeitschrift Sozialismus 9/2006). Hamburg: VSA-Verlag, pp. 12–23.
15.
DörreK (2002) Politische Bildung im flexiblen Kapitalismus. In: RöderWJDörreK (eds) Lernchancen und Marktzwänge: Bildungsarbeit im flexiblen Kapitalismus. Münster: Westfälisches Dampfboot, pp. 29–46.
16.
ErneR (2008) European Unions: Labor’s Quest for a Transnational Democracy. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
17.
ErneRBielerAGoldenDHelleIKjeldstadliKMatosTStanS (2015) Introduction: Politicizing the transnational. Labor History56(3): 237–245.
18.
ETUI (2013) Our Training. Brussels: ETUI.
19.
FetzerT (2008) European works councils as risk communities. European Journal of Industrial Relations14(3): 298–308.
20.
FöhrerB (2015a) Collaboration through education? Transnational competence and trade unions’ cross-border commitment. PhD Thesis, University College Dublin, Dublin.
21.
FöhrerB (2015b) What role can trade union education play in enhancing transnational labour solidarity? In: BielerAErneRGoldenDHelleIKjeldstadliKMatosTStanS (eds) Labour and Transnational Action in Times of Crisis. London: Rowman & Littlefield, pp. 159–172.
22.
ForresterK (2010) Labour education. In: PetersonPBakerEMcGawB (eds) International Encyclopedia of Education, 3rd edn, vol. 1. Oxford: Elsevier, pp. 139–143.
23.
FreireP (2002) Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 30th anniversary edn. New York: Continuum.
24.
GamsonWA (1995) Constructing social protest. In: JohnstonHKlandermansB (eds) Social Movements and Culture. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, pp. 85–106.
25.
GreerIHauptmeierM (2008) Political entrepreneurs and co-managers. British Journal of Industrial Relations46(1): 76–97.
26.
HannD (2010) The continuing tensions between European works councils and trade unions – A comparative study of the financial sector. Transfer16(4): 525–540.
27.
HürtgenS (2008) Transnationales Co-Management: Betriebliche Politik in der globalen Konkurrenz. Münster: Westfälisches Dampfboot.
ICTU (2013b) Report of the executive council. In:Proceedings of the Biennial Delegate conference, Belfast, 2–4 July. Dublin; Belfast: ICTU.
30.
ICTU (2014) Report of the Commission on the Irish Trade Union Movement. Dublin: ICTU.
31.
IGM (2014) Gewerkschaftliche Bildung der IG Metall: Informationen über Grundlagen, Ziele und Methoden für internationale Partner. Frankfurt am Main: IG Metall.
JagodzińskiR (2011) EWCs after 15 years: Success or failure?Transfer17(2): 203–216.
34.
KehrbaumT (2015) Mitgliederwerbung in der Bildungsarbeit. Miteinander Zukunft Denken15: 1–2.
35.
KellyJE (1999) Rethinking Industrial Relations: Mobilization, Collectivism and Long Waves. London; New York: Routledge.
36.
KirtonGGattaM (2013) Developing women leaders in a globalized context. In: KirtonGHealyG (eds) Gender and Leadership in Unions. New York: Routledge, pp. 229–250.
37.
KlemmMKraetschCWeyandJ (2011) Das Umfeld ist bei Ihnen völlig anders. Kulturelle Grundlagen der betrieblichen Mitbestimmung. Berlin: Edition Sigma.
38.
KnudsenH (2004) European Works Councils: Potentials and obstacles on the road to employee influence in multinational companies. Industrielle Beziehungen11(3): 203–220.
KotthoffH (2006) Lehrjahre des Europäischen Betriebsrats: Zehn Jahre transnationale Arbeitnehmervertretung. Berlin: Edition Sigma.
41.
KurzerBMannheimFLauenrothBGehringR (2006) Bildungsarbeit für eine verbesserte Handlungsfähigkeit der betrieblichen Interessenvertretungen. In: KurzerBMathesBScherbaumM (eds) Bildung ist der Rede wert: Perspektiven gewerkschaftlicher Bildungsarbeit (Supplement der Zeitschrift Sozialismus 9/2006). Hamburg: VSA-Verlag, pp. 24–31.
42.
LévesqueCHennebertMAFairbrotherP (2013) Futures of transnational trade unionism. In: FairbrotherPLévesqueCHennebertMA (eds) Transnational Trade Unionism. London: Routledge, pp. 265–280.
43.
McAdamDTarrowSTillyC (2004) Dynamics of Contention. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
44.
MartínezLucio MWestonS (2000) European works councils and ‘flexible regulation’: The politics of intervention. European Journal of Industrial Relations6(2): 203–216.
45.
MatosT (2015) A pyrrhic victory? A case of national unions and immigrant workers returned. In: BielerAErneRGoldenDHelleIKjeldstadliKMatosTStanS (eds) Labour and Transnational Action in Times of Crisis. London; New York: Rowman & Littlefield, pp. 99–112.
46.
MillerDStirlingJ (1998) European works council training: An opportunity missed?European Journal of Industrial Relations4(1): 35–56.
47.
MillerDTullyBFitzgeraldI (2000) The politics of language and European works councils: Towards a research agenda. European Journal of Industrial Relations6(3): 307–323.
48.
NegtO (1974) Soziologische Phantasie und exemplarisches Lernen: Zur Theorie der Arbeiterbildung, 4th edn.Frankfurt am Main: Europäische Verlagsanstalt.
49.
NovelliM (2011) Thinking through transnational solidarity. In: BielerALindbergI (eds) Global Restructuring, Labour and the Challenges for Transnational Solidarity. London: Routledge, pp. 141–161.
50.
NovelliMFerus-ComeloA (2010) Globalization and knowledge production in labour movements. In: NovelliMFerus-ComeloA (eds) Globalization, Knowledge and Labour. London: Routledge, pp. 49–63.
51.
SaltB (2000) Factors enabling and constraining worker education programs. Responses to neo-liberal globalisation. Studies in Continuing Education22(1): 115–144.
SarboLWangVCX (2004) Philosophy, role of adult educators, and learning. Journal of Transformative Education2(3): 204–214.
54.
SayerA (2011) Why Things Matter to People. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
55.
ScherrA (2005) Social subjectivity and mutual recognition as basic terms of a critical theory of education. In: FischmanGEMcLarenPSünkerHLankshearC (eds) Criticial Theories, Radical Pedagogies, and Global Conflicts. New York: Rowman & Littlefield, pp. 145–153.
56.
SpencerB (1998) Workers’ education for the twenty-first century. In: ScottSSpencerBThomasAM (eds) Learning for Life: Canadian Readings in Adult Education. Toronto, ON, Canada: Thompson Educational, pp. 164–175.
57.
StanSHelleIErneR (2015) European collective action in times of crisis. Transfer21(2): 131–139.
StirlingJ (2002) Trade union education in Europe: Emerging from the gloom. In: SpencerB (ed.) Unions and Learning in a Global Economy. Toronto, ON, Canada: Thompson Educational, pp. 26–36.
60.
StirlingJ (2007) Globalisation and trade union education. In:ShelleySCalveleyM (eds) Learning with Trade Unions: A Contemporary Agenda in Employment Relations. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing, pp. 207–224.
61.
StirlingJTullyB (2004) Power, process, and practice: Communications in European works councils. European Journal of Industrial Relations10(1): 73–89.
62.
StroudD (2011) Organizing training for union renewal: A case study analysis of the European Union steel industry. Economic and Industrial Democracy33(2): 225–244.
63.
TarlauR (2011) Education and labor in tension: Contemporary debates about education in the US labor movement. Labor Studies Journal36(3): 363–387.
64.
TaylorJ (2007) From union education to workers’ education: Workers learning how to confront twenty-first-century capitalism. In: FarrellLFenwickT (eds) World Yearbook of Education 2007. New York: Routledge, pp. 65–75.
65.
ThomasA (2013) Towards the managerialization of trade unions? Recent trends in France and Germany. European Journal of Industrial Relations19(1): 21–36.
66.
TurnerL (1996) The Europeanization of labour: Structure before action. European Journal of Industrial Relations2(3): 325–344.
67.
ver.di (2007) Bildung bewegt: Die ver.di Bildungskonzeption. Berlin: ver.di.
68.
WaddingtonJ (2011) European Works Councils and Industrial Relations: A Transnational Industrial Relations Institution in the Making. London: Routledge.
69.
WhittallM (2000) The BMW European works council: A cause for European industrial relations optimism?European Journal of Industrial Relations6(1): 61–83.
70.
WhittallMKnudsenHHuijgenF (2009) European works councils: Identity and the role of information and communication technology. European Journal of Industrial Relations15(2): 167–185.
71.
ZeunerC (2012) Citizenship and citizenship education. In: EichlerBObermayrUKehrbaumT (eds) Results of the Quali2move Project. Frankfurt am Main: IG Metall, pp. 43–54.
