Union members’ attitudes towards immigrant workers: A 14-country study

Abstract:

Increasing immigration into Europe has presented unions with many dilemmas. A potentially important factor shaping their strategies is their members’ attitudes towards immigrants and immigration. However, these attitudes have not been analysed systematically in Europe.

Studies in Australia and North America have assumed that union membership is associated with hostility, resulting from the alleged threat of migrants to wages and working conditions. Yet, we hypothesize that the security gained from union membership should generate less, rather than more, hostility towards migrants. Our hypothesis is confirmed analysing data from the 2012 European Social Survey for 14 Western European countries.

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