Cross-border competition and trade union responses in the enlarged EU: Evidence from the automotive industry in Germany and Poland

Abstract

This article explores the conditions under which trade unions in the car industry in Western and Central-Eastern Europe cooperate with each other. It analyses relations between Polish and German unions at three automotive companies displaying variation in the timing and content of cross-border cooperative ventures. Unions cooperated transnationally when no local negotiation channel was available to the German unionists and the Polish unionists benefited more from the assistance of their Western counterparts than from local solutions. Overall, the evidence suggests that East—West labour transnationalism contains a strong element of reciprocity and is guided primarily by cost—benefit considerations.