Multinational Companies And Their Atitude Towards Union Activity

The intensification of the global economic activity has generated changes in working relations. The intensification of the activities within multinational companies has determined greater employment flexibility, but also a lower collective bargaining power of the employees, because the multinationals attempted to weaken the power of trade unions. The purpose of this paper is precisely to identify the attitude of these companies towards trade union activity and the reaction of labour organizations in response to the challenges of the globalization. The policy of multinational companies is, as it comes from the results presented in this paper, to avoid as far as possible syndicates recognition for collective bargaining of the reciprocal rights and obligations. One of the reasons would be that trade unions recognition would imply for the managers of these companies some restrictions of control management prerogatives. In order to show strength against multinational companies, trade unions have joined at European and international level, trying to formulate a strategic response to the challenges of the globalization. Through global trade unions such as Global Syndicate Federations (GSF) and the European Trade Union Confederation, employees have obtained the right to be consulted, informed and negotiate their rights through international and European social dialogue. Although multinational companies have an attitude of avoiding trade union recognition, the internationalization and Europeanization of syndicates contribute to maintaining the strategic partner role of the union in the struggle to ensure satisfactory life and working conditions of its members.