ABSTRACT
There is widespread agreement in Italy among scholars and observers over the ‘trade union parabola’ coined by the sociologist Aris Accornero (1992). This suggests that after the great reinforcement of the three trade union confederations CGIL, CISL and UIL in the 1970s (unionisation increased at a tremendous rate from 27 per cent in 1967 to 51 per cent in 1977), a downturn occurred. This was associated with the cycle of industrial reorganisation between 1980 and 1985, which reshaped many large firms (beginning with FIAT), and reduced employment in industry (while it increased in small, less unionised firms). In these conditions the three confederal unions faced increasing difficulties in representing the interests of employees as these appeared to become more and more differentiated. This divergence was resoundingly demonstrated at FIAT in 1980 when a sharp split occurred between assembly-line workers and the majority of employees, led by front-line managers (Baldissera 1988).
