Trade unionism and immigration: reinterpreting old and new dilemmas

Abstract

The social and economic changes that have taken place since the mid-1980s in Spain and other southern European countries have paved the way for their emergence as new countries of immigration. Trade unionism in these countries has had to face this new situation at a time of great changes in the world of employment and this has posed new challenges for union structures. This article reports on recent empirical research into Spanish trade unionists’ attitudes towards immigrant workers within this new context. A research method first used in other European countries is employed here to give a fresh perspective to dilemmas highlighted in previous studies and to suggest possible solutions.