Economic and Industrial Democracy· 2026Q1
The swimmers: Workers’ turnover against the labour regulation cage
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Workers in Italian and Polish automotive supply chains use turnover (quitting) as a form of resistance against labor regulations and weakened industrial relations, influenced by institutional power and their capacity for control.
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Key points
- Worker turnover is analyzed as a form of resistance against labor legislation and weakened industrial relations.
- The study integrates Power Resource Theory and Labour Process Theory to understand worker agency.
- Institutional, associational, and structural power resources influence workers' capacity for resistance.
- Differences in labor regulations between Italy (protective but divisive) and Poland (fragmented, restrictive) shape resistance strategies.
- Workers' capacity to control effort and mobility is a key factor in their resistance choices.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Drawing on qualitative research in Italian and Polish automotive supply chains, we examine how workers navigate labour legislation, weakened industrial relations and the dual (protective and restrictive) character of collective agreements. Integrating Power Resource Theory and Labour Process Theory, we position turnover alongside strikes on a continuum of resistance shaped by institutional, associational and structural power resources and by workers’ capacity to control effort and mobility. In Italy, sectoral agreements protect but divide workers; in Poland, fragmented bargaining and restrictive strike laws constrain collective action, pushing workers toward exit. We show how institutional protections simultaneously enable and constrain workers’ agency in what we call ‘the labour regulation cage’.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Public Administration
Public AdministrationSocial Sciences