Trade unions and the workers' collective action in Thailand : an articulation of social movement unionism and economic unionism, 1972-2002

Abstract

This Dissertation inestigates the changes in the characteristics of the trade union movement in Thailand from 1972 to 2002. The study examines the determinants that shaped and influenced the different characteristics of the trade unions at different periods of time. Social movement unionism and economic unionism are the two models identified as polar opposites in the analysis of trade unions' characteristics. The concepts of social movement unionism and economic unionism are derived from the economic, the Marxist and the new social movement theories. These two models of unionism have been confined to the trade union movement from 1972-2002, but to a different degree in the certain period. The analyses are chronologically divided into three phases, according to the significant changes in the characteristics of the trade union movement. The social movement unionism was developed as the dominant form of the trade union movement from October, 1973, to October, 1976, with the integration of three components: defense of the common interests of the working class, class collective action, and participation in the movements for broad social objectives. The economic unionism developed to replace the social movement unionism in the post-1976 period, when trade unions turned to emphasize only the defense of the workers' common interests and distanced themselves from the movements for broad social objectives. In the post-1990 period, the growth of the economic unionism was interrupted by the sudden change in the political situation. However, the dominant characteristic of the trade unions remained the economic unionism, but it developed with some new features that were different from the economic unionism in the previous decade. With the focus on the collective demands of trade unions and the organisation of collective action, the study explains the changes of characteristics of the trade union movement as the consequences of the interaction between the trade union actors and the external factors surrounding the trade unions. These factors include the economic conditions, the political situation, and the development of the other social movements.