ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to set out the changing significance and role of trade unions in the post-socialist era in Central and East Europe (hereafter CEE) and Russia with particular reference to the development of politics and political processes in the region. There have of course been several aspects of the political transition, including the development of a plurality of political parties and the establishment of elections. The interests of trade unions, however, have been directly influenced by the politics of the attempted economic reforms adopted or avoided by governments in the different countries; such reforms have of course been promoted by western governments and the international financial agencies and constitute a significant aspect of the politics of transformation. The chapter charts the changing importance and role of trade unions in post-socialist politics through four stages. 1 The first, and very significant phase, was the place of trade unions in the crises which led to regime changes and the extent to which they were strategic actors in the transformation process. The second stage typically involved the establishment of new Labour Codes and trade union support for economic reform strategies. The third phase was one of social partnership comprising the development of tripartite forums of one sort or another. In the fourth and continuing stage the earlier consensus on the reform process has been broken and there is a tendency for governments to try to marginalise trade unions from the political process. This discussion does not provide detailed empirical material on the current status of trade unions in CEE, in terms of issues such as membership levels, involvement in collective bargaining or their role within the enterprise (for this kind of information, see Pollert 2000, Thirkell, Petkov and Vickerstaff 1998: 75–91, Standing 1997: 140–5, Mason 1995). The aim, rather, is to address the broad questions of the role of trade unions in the processes of political transition and their trajectories in the CEE region and to pose questions as to the future position of trade unions in the politics of these transforming societies, taking Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Russia as our basis for discussion. The chapter concludes by considering the possible strategies trade unions in CEE could adopt and the prospects for their success.
