RENEWAL OF UNIONS IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY

Article systematizes reasons that caused the role of unions in contemporary society to be more and more marginalized and undefined, as well as strategies and tactics which are on union disposal to struggle with external and internal factors that negatively infl uence union density rate and therefore indirectly their impact in the society. Reasons of decreasing union presence and power are grouped in four sets: (1) structural reasons (structural changes in economy as neoliberalism, unemployment, union substitution, greater market competition etc., and changes in workforce structure), (2) organizational reasons (such as management opposition and empowerment), (3) individual reasons (individualism and changing career perceptions), and (4) union reasons (such as union inactivity and disintegration, or limited range of union services). Furthermore, six sets of strategies and tactics of union renewal are proposed in the article: (1) more active participation in creation of economic policy, (2) focus on traditionally non-unionized interest groups, (3) extending the spectrum of services, (4) new types of organizing, (5) adoption of contemporary leadership style, and (6) additional training and development of union leaders.