Trade Union Activists, East and West

This text concerns the transformation of class consciousness. It shows that differences between trade union activists from the East and West are not inherited from the past but are socially constructed, and that Eastern trade unions are "no longer" like their Western counterparts, as opposed to "not yet" like them. The study concentrates mainly on Italy and Poland, with East and West referring to concepts and perceptions rather than as a geographical concern. It discovers whether the differences in trade union consciousness are due to the meaning members give a situation or the specificity of the local work settings.