Work and Employment Relations in Southern Europe

Positioning industrial relations in a discussion that is sensitive to broader political, historical, and ideological tensions, this insightful book offers reflections on the politics of de-regulation that have developed in southern European work and employment relations over the past 20 years.

Interwoven with case studies from Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, the book reviews critical debates and issues related to de-regulation in employment relations and neoliberalism in southern Europe. Taking stock of major changes and crises affecting these national contexts over time, from austerity politics to the COVID-19 pandemic, chapters investigate how new voices, actors, and social movements are beginning to emerge and engage with the politics of work. The book ultimately posits that debates on production and work need to pay closer attention to changes in patterns of consumption and the changing nature of worker voice, and highlights how these changes are being used to undermine collective and social rights.

Surveying political shifts in collective worker voice and representation over time, the book will benefit students and scholars of industrial relations, labour studies, the sociology of work, and employment politics. Its evaluation of the impact of de-regulation strategies imposed across southern Europe will prove invaluable to practitioners and policymakers involved in public employment and industrial relations.