Abstract
If the European legacy of unionism is a must-have reference for scholars of labor relations, it is even more when inquiring about the relevance of trade unionism in the light of the transformations over the last decade in the European scenario. In a scenario in which, more than talking about an European trade unionism, it makes sense to talk about trade unionism in Europe, this paper retrieves the historical legacy of trade unionism and its plural sense (“the varieties of unionism”, translated into theories and models) in order to then identify the sources of union power. It argues that the trade union movement, despite its multiple crisis factors, is able to capitalize sources of power as a way to overcome its weaknesses. Consequently, four themes are identified - representativeness, independence, international action and construction of social alliances - based on the European reality. More than crisis factors, such themes are a pretext for the renewal of trade unionism.
Palavras-chave:
Trade unionism; Europe; Sources of Power; Representativeness; Independence; International Action; Social Alliances