ABSTRACT

The conflict over the labour contract, as is well known, has passed through three stages. In the first stage, the individual manufacturer is opposed by the individual worker. In the second, the individual manufacturer is engaged in conflict with an organization of workers, and in the third, organizations of workers are locked in conflict with employers' organizations. The function of a trade union is to eliminate competition among workers on the labour market. The trade union struggle is a struggle over the labour contract. As long as labour organizations are in conflict with individual employers the choice of timing rests with the workers, and timing is a decisive factor in determining the outcome of a struggle. The existence of an employers' organization has the further advantage for the employers that it makes it easier for them to pass on any increase in costs of production.