Trade Union Consciousness, East and West: A Comparison of Fiat Factories in Poland and Italy

Abstract

This article presents the first results of a qualitative research project examining trade union activists at Fiat factories in Italy and Poland. It discusses two issues: first, whether it is possible to find any common ground (a 'principle of unity') which could facilitate transnational union action; second, the distinctive features of the development of Polish trade unionism in comparison with unions in the West. By applying Touraine's model of working-class consciousness, one can detect profound differences between Italian and Polish workers, and there seems to be increasing divergence between unionism in the East and the West.