Introduction: debates on collective bargaining in a time of economic crisis: the Spanish case in context

Abstract

Collective Labor Law as a mechanism of agency through workers representation has been challenged more than ever during recent last decades. The policies that have adjusted labor rights to new scenarios of economic policies have impacted collective bargaining structures and contents. The debates on centralization and decentralization, workers participation, unions and workers strategies to countervail the erosion of labor rights have been part of the social agenda. Among the debates one very important one involves the study of the cases of the Basque Country and Catalonia. Their models of collective bargaining allow us to examine different strategies to achieve social goals through collective action with more successful results in the Basque case.