The Trade Union in Spain: from Fordism to globalized Capitalism (1939-1999)

Abstract

The article analyses the historical evolution of trade unionism in Spain, between the middle of the 20th century and the globalization scenario at the end of the century. It is based on the argument that there is a model of resistance in correspondence to each production model; and supposes the existence of an ambivalent relationship between the several forms of capitalism and the mobilizations of the working class. The analysis of these dynamics is particularly useful for the study of Fordism implanted by a Francoist state, that seeked the institutionalization of some precarious type of representation that would channel the principle of collective autonomy in the factory wage system, and that opened to the same time the possibility of articulating the power of workers' mobilization; but opened up at the same time the possibility of articulating a powerful workers' mobilization. A progressive wear of the Fordist model throughout the last third of the century has been combined with the persistence of one of its bases, Taylorism, and with the appearance of new production models that have contributed to the demobilization of workers and their disaffection with politics.