Renewal in Canadian Public Sector Unions: Neoliberalism and Union Praxis

Challenges from employers and governments and the limited success of public sector union responses suggest the need for renewal in Canadian public sector unions. This article engages with discussions of union renewal by way of theoretically conceptualizing the modes of union praxis relevant to Canad...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Relations industrielles (Québec, Québec) Québec), 2007-04, Vol.62 (2), p.282-304
Main Author:	Camfield, David
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Action Canada Canada - Public sector Collective bargaining Compromises Conceptualization Democracy Democratization Economic liberalism Employee relations Employers Employment Labor unionization Labor unions Labour relations Management Mobilization Neoliberalism Political Development Political parties Praxis Privatization Protection Public Sector Public sector industries Reform Renewal Social activism Social Movements Trade unions Trade unions - Canada Trade unions - Government employees Unionization Unions Workers Workplaces
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Summary:	Challenges from employers and governments and the limited success of public sector union responses suggest the need for renewal in Canadian public sector unions. This article engages with discussions of union renewal by way of theoretically conceptualizing the modes of union praxis relevant to Canadian unions. It then examines the nature of neoliberal public sector reform and assesses the experiences of Canadian public sector unions under neoliberalism. In this difficult context, unions that are able to make progress in the interconnected development of greater democracy and power will be more capable of channelling workers’ concerns into union activity. This, along with international and Canadian evidence, highlights the significance of the praxis of social movement unionism to union renewal in the public sector.
ISSN:	0034-379X 1703-8138