Workers' resistance in special economic zones in Poland

Abstract

PurposeThis article compares workers' resistance in foreign direct investments (FDIs) in the automotive and electronics sectors in two special economic zones (SEZs) in the north-east and south-west of Poland. It aims to investigate why, despite the shared characteristics of the SEZs, that there are different outcomes in terms of the balance of formal resistance through trade unions and informal resistance through sabotage.Design/methodology/approachA spatial framework of analysis is posited to examine how global capital, national employment frameworks and regional institutions play out in local labour markets and shape workers' sense of place and their capacity for workplace resistance. The research study is based on interviews with trade union officials and non-union employees in four foreign investment firms in Poland.FindingsThe findings point to the importance of the type of production in influencing the structural power of organised labour and the social agency workers influenced by their understanding of place.Originality/valueAnalysing workplace resistance and industrial relations from a spatial perspective.