Are collective identity and action being squashed by individualism?

Abstract

This chapter addresses a core aspect of the question: “is the collectivism of labour in fundamental decline?” with particular attention to the attitudinal dimension of collectivism, including collective identities, using national and cross-national data on trends in dimensions of collectivism over periods of up to two decades. The data indicate that collective values and identities are broadly as strong (or weak) as they were two or three decades ago. If individualisation is the problem, then we should not look at individualisation of attitudes but individualisation in the employment relationship through the decisions of specific actors. Union organising strategies need to reinforce union values and build solidarities across groups with more complex, heterogeneous identities than in the past.