"They don't represent us!" Opportunities for a Social Movement Unionism Strategy in Spain

Unions have been forced to reinvent themselves in order to survive. Despite differences between regions, unions are undergoing crisis and change worldwide. In the Anglo-Saxon area, the experience of considerable deregulation, within the framework of a free market economy, has led unions to implement new strategies such as social movement unionism. There is evidence that Spanish unions can enhance their power and influence by cooperating with social movements once traditional ways of union action have shown to be inefficient. However, this requires profound change in union culture and organization.