Introduction

Abstract

Trade unions in state-socialist society were an integral part of the Party-state apparatus, supposedly representing the interests of the working class as a whole, as expressed by the Communist Party, rather than the interests of particular groups of workers. The transition from a command economy to a capitalist market economy transforms the employment relationship and so transforms the trade unions from being simply an extension of the Party-state apparatus into bodies that, at least nominally, represent their members in negotiation with employers and lobby within the political system to secure legal standards for decent pay and working conditions. As representatives of the interests and aspirations of employees, trade unions have the potential to play a very positive role in the construction of civil society in the post-socialist countries and so to play a central role in the democratisation process.