Contested power structures in global logistics networks: Insights from the 2023 truck driver protests in Germany

Abstract

The concept of labour agency has so far lacked an approach that comprehensively integrates both the structural conditions and outcomes of labour actions – for example, institutional frameworks in global supply chains, which are currently undergoing rapid change. By combining the concept of labour agency with the global production networks (GPN) approach and using the case of the 2023 truck driver protests in Gräfenhausen, Germany, the paper addresses the existing gap and examines the extent to which labour actions can alter power structures within global logistics networks. The study draws on a qualitative approach, in which primarily interviews have been conducted with various actors involved in logistics networks. The findings show that the protests in Gräfenhausen contested existing power structures in global production networks through the utilisation of both collective as well as institutional power. However, they neither resulted in the formation of new nor a mere maintenance of existing structures. Instead, the results indicate that labour actions in the case of Gräfenhausen led to a recalibration, specifically a behavioural adjustment among actors within global logistics networks. The study demonstrates that labour actions can yield multi-layered and even contradictory effects on their broader structural context. Thus, the paper argues for a nuanced understanding of labour agency outcomes and structure-agency dynamics in global production networks.