Building Power to Shape Labor Policy: Unions, Employee Associations, and Reform in Neoliberal Chile

During Chiles shift to neoliberalism, the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet passed a swath of pro-business labor legislation. Subsequent labor reforms by democratically elected progressive administrations have sought to shift power back to workers, but this task has proven difficult. Pablo Pérez Ahumada's book Building Power to Shape Labor Policy argues that analyzing how workers and employers mobilize power to influence government policies is crucial for understanding labor reform outcomes. He proposes a relational understanding of power and how it is balanced among competing social classes, and analysis of recent events in Chile reveals how the balance of power and the lingering effects of neoliberalism manifest in labor reform.

Format: Hardback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 30 May 2023
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press

During Chile's transition to neoliberalism, the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship enacted a series of pro-business labor laws. Subsequent labor reforms implemented by democratically elected progressive administrations aimed to restore power to workers, however, this endeavor proved challenging. In his book, Building Power to Shape Labor Policy, Pablo Pérez Ahumada delves into the reasons behind this difficulty. Pérez Ahumada centers his analysis on reforms to collective labor law, arguing that understanding how workers and employers mobilize power to influence government policies is essential for comprehending the outcomes of labor reform. He explores the relational nature of power, examining how different types of power, such as structural, institutional, and associational, interact with each other. He proposes a relational understanding of power and its balance among competing social classes. While workers and employers both play a role in shaping labor law, their influence is not equal. By analyzing recent events in Chile, Pérez Ahumada highlights how the balance of power and the lingering effects of neoliberalism manifest in labor reform.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780822947691