Understanding Union Effectiveness in Central Eastern Europe: Hungary and Slovenia

Abstract

This article develops a process-oriented concept of union effectiveness at the workplace and defines two related measures: union influence on management decision-making and union leaders' perception of shop-floor union strength. It explores various explanations of union effectiveness in Central Eastern Europe. In particular, it examines the limits of the economic explanations and the relevance of organizational factors (such as leadership and membership attitudes and collective identities). Empirical data are provided from a survey of local union leaders in two industries in Hungary and Slovenia. The findings of regression analysis reveal that two organizational resources, trust in management and union member commitment, are the most important determinants for both measures of effectiveness.