Trade unions and migrant workers in Western Europe Articles uri icon

publication date

  • September 2013

start page

  • 239

end page

  • 254

issue

  • 3

volume

  • 19

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0959-6801

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1461-7129

abstract

  • This article examines the gap between the unionization rate of local and migrant workers in 14 Western European countries. The analysis reveals that the lower unionization rate of migrant workers can be attributed only in part to the impact of labour market segregation. Moreover, the gap between the unionization rate of local and migrant workers varies substantially across countries. We find that this gap is larger in those countries in which unions enjoy organizational security either in the form of state financing or a single dominant confederation.