ABSTRACT
Since the early decades of the twentieth century, if not before, the construction industry has been the “engine” of the Spanish economy, one of the main driving forces of national production, wealth creation, and employment. In Spain, even more than in many other advanced economies, the crucial economic and social importance of the sector is summed up in the adage that “when the construction industry goes well, everything goes well.” Given this, it is perhaps not surprising that the industry has also been at the forefront of broader trends in the organization of production, employment, and industrial relations. This was as true at the beginning of the twentieth century, when, for example, construction workers and employers led the way in interest group organization and conflict, as it has been recently, at the close of the century, when the industry led in developments such as productive decentralization, labor market flexibilization, and attempts to create new forms of industrial governance.1
