Innovative Labour Mobilisation: The Rise of Atypical Worker Organisations in Madrid

The emergence of new business models, technologies, and atypical industrial relations has significantly challenged traditional trade unionism in contemporary Europe. In response, new organizational forms have arisen on the periphery of conventional trade unions, advocating for greater flexibility and innovation in collective action strategies within the workplace. This study aims to explore the development of these new organizations to elucidate the dynamics of collective labor action in informal sectors, such as the platform economy, precarious self-employed workers, and migrant workers in irregular situations.

Our hypothesis posits that the increasing fragmentation and informalization of the labor market create new opportunities for innovating the organization of workers' rights, opportunities that traditional, highly hierarchical trade unions cannot effectively address. To test this hypothesis, we focus on Madrid, utilizing in-depth interviews and ethnographic research conducted within these organizations from 2018 to 2023.

This study investigates the intersections between the repertoires and identities of the traditional labor movement and the new social labor movements that emerged from the Indignados’ Movement. We have mapped the majority of labor organizations advocating for these ‘atypical workers’ and contrasted this reality with the minority unions they collaborate with. This represents the first comprehensive research in Spain to delve into the collective action strategies of precarious workers, highlighting organizations that advocate for workers' rights where major unions have minimal presence.

A critical finding of our research is the pivotal role of activists socialized in the 15M Protest Cycle, who introduced various mobilization strategies into the labor movement. Our case study demonstrates that these new politicization and mobilization strategies create reciprocal influences between alternative and traditional trade union organizations. This research contributes to understanding the adaptability and collaborative potential of diverse labor organizations in responding to contemporary challenges.