Understanding European trade unionism

Richard Hyman, Sage Publications, 196 pages, hardback £55.00, paperback £18.99

The author analyses the history and development of trade unions in Britain, Germany and Italy, showing that a good understanding can be gained by seeing how national characteristics are combined with the three main aspects of trade unionism, namely market, class and society.

In the first of these, unions are interest organisations mainly concerned with the labour market and collective bargaining; in the second, they are "schools of war" in the struggle between labour and capital; and in the third, they are vehicles for raising workers' status in society and hence for advancing social justice.

After examining these three traditions, the author gives a detailed and fascinating history of trade unions in the three countries and, lastly, considers how the unions could recover from the intense disarray of recent years. He sees two possible elements of an answer: the ideal of social Europe, and the development of visions for a better future, or new utopias with international scope.