Özet:

Trade unionism lived its “golden age” in terms of economic, political and social activities in the period of 1945-1973 in which the Keynesian economic policies were applied. However, neoliberal policies adopted after 1980 and also flexible working schedules, new production and management techniques and relentless international competition emerged within the context of globalization have forced trade unionism to enter a new stage. In this new period, trade unions had to reconsider their organizational structures, their struggle methods and their relationships with political parties in order to accommodate themselves to conditions which changed in terms of content and method and likewise to the conjuncture. This article examines the reasons which caused the change and transformation witnessed in trade unionism after 1980 by taking into consideration that the trade unionism interacts with radical changes in economic, social and political spheres. It is concluded that the trade unionism has lost members and bargaining power, that trade unionism has avoided from engaging “transmission belt” type relationships with political parties and that trade unionism has reoriented to “reconciliatory unionism” from “combatant unionism”.

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