The Eurozone poses challenges for labour at large – and not just for the ‘South’

In the aftermath of the sovereign debt crisis, trade unions in the Eurozone periphery suffered heavy defeats in policy-making, as governments implemented liberalising reforms against their opposition. Some scholars saw this as indicative of a chasm in the fortunes and interests of organised labour between the Eurozone’s northern core and southern periphery. However, as Philip Rathgeb and Arianna Tassinari explain, trade unions in core countries are not insulated from the risk of marginalisation. This, they argue, underscores the necessity for labour cooperation across the Eurozone rather than a reinforcement of North-South divides.