Central and eastern European industrial relations in the crisis: national divergence and path-dependent change

Abstract

This article assesses the effects of the recent economic crisis on industrial relations in the central and eastern European EU Member States. The analysis is based on the theoretical framework of three types of central and eastern European capitalism: neoliberal, embedded neoliberal and neocorporatist (Bohle and Greskovits, 2012). The article introduces the individual articles of this issue, arguing that the impact of the crisis on collective bargaining processes and institutions is shaped by economic and political factors and, above all, by the institutional setting of industrial relations. Trade union responses are explained by the varying use of two strategic sources of power: participation in formal collective bargaining (institutional power) and a strengthening of the membership base (membership power). Despite considerable differences between countries with regard to these factors, recent developments in collective bargaining have tended to be path-dependent and have resulted in a further shift of the region’s industrial relations towards neoliberalism.