Popova L.L. Trade Union Movement in Russia and Bolivia after the Neoliberal Reforms: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract: The subject of the research in the present article are the specific characteristics of the functioning of Russian and Bolivian trade unions, the factor of evolution of their strategies and tactics, the reasons of the development of oppositional trade union movement in these countries. Independent trade union movement in modern Russia is in its infancy, and faces some problems, which justifies the importance of studying the experience of trade union movement in other countries. The main problems, the solution of which now defines the efficiency of a trade union as a social institution, are as follows: the formation of a "flexible" labour market, enlargement of transnational corporation that require the elaboration of new strategies of the social protection of the workers. The work is based on systems and social-cultural approaches, the author has used the method of comparative (cross-national) analysis, as well as the traditional analysis of documents. The criteria of comparison considered in the present work are the strategy and tactics of the trade unions, the structure of the trade union movement, the trade unions' attitude to the economic reforms in the country and key social issues of the studies period. The article considers the trends of the evolution of the trade union movement in the two countries. The author draws a conclusion regarding the common specific features in the development of the trade union movement in Russia and Bolivia at a certain stage (1990s), caused by the social-economic likelihood of the two countries. Among such specific features there are orientation on short-term radical goals and criticism of neoliberal policy. In the following period (2000s) the political mobilisation of the Russian trade unions decreases, the level of the popular trust reduces, while the Bolivian trade unions are still one of the most active actors of the political process in the country. 

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