Trade Unions and Immigration in Spain

In this chapter we outline the way trade unions in Spain have responded to immigration in relation to the questions of class, social rights and race/ethnicity. Spain has seen a quick and systematic increase in immigration since the early 1990s, which has been concentred in sectors with a weaker or weakening trade union representation and challenges in terms of state regulation and regulatory reach. Yet, trade unions have adopted an inclusive approach which is based on integration and the extension of general and universal rights. The motives for this may derive from a desire to shore up the system of regulation in the face of ever greater labour market change and dualism. According to the analytical framework presented in Chapter 1, the dominant logic of action of Spanish trade unions was between class and social rights.