Research project Trade-union internationalism and international employer loyalty

The project focuses industrial relation in the post-war Swedish textile and clothing industry, as regards European integration and within a context of sector specific structural crisis. It studies the efforts of Swedish actors to sway international competition by acting on international arenas, as well as their determination to influence the movements of labour, capital and goods within sectors of the labour market that were characterised by a large degree of young female migrant workers. Thereby, the project illuminates the mutual relationship between national trade unions and employer associations, and their international forums respectively: international trade secretariats and international employer organisations. It explores the meaning of trade-union internationalism and international employer cooperation, as well as the boundaries of trade-union solidarity and employer loyalty. By extension, the project analyses how international contacts and negotiations affected Swedish labour-market relations.