Trade Unions, Restructuring and Individualization in French and British Banks

Abstract

The European banking sector has experienced radical restructuring in the 1990s. This article compares the experiences and opinions of French and British trade union activists in two banks. It argues that while trade union organization in each country remains distinct, activists' perceptions of restructuring and industrial relations or HRM changes have much in common: there is a growing convergence in working practices and workers' experiences. Job losses, the reorganization of work and segmentation of the labour force have weakened the power of unions to make a collective response. However, despite some signs of growing individualism, there is little to suggest that `commitment' to the employer has increased; and unions continue to rely on collective organization to restrain managerial unitarism.