The Antecedents of Comparative Differences in Union Presence and Engagement: Evidence from Coordinated and Liberal Market Contexts

Abstract This study employs a large on-going survey database to explore the antecedents of comparative differences in union representation and the extent to which employers engage with them at the workplace, and how this has changed over time. It finds that amongst organizations employing more than 100 employees, there has been no uniform decline in the presence of unions, or engagement by employers with them at the workplace. In other words, although we do not measure the range of topics covered or the impact of such engagement, it is clear that neither the neo-liberal nor the more critical theory suggestions that systems are naturally converging to a common model of minimal union presence and engagement receives much support. Collective employment relations are influenced by comparative capitalisms and, to a lesser extent, legal systems and remain a significant feature of many continental European economies.