Invisibility of workers and trade union democracy: a research perspective on representation and participation

Journal title ECONOMIA E SOCIETÀ REGIONALE
Author/s Chiara Bonaiuti
Publishing Year 2026 Issue 2025/3
Language Italian Pages 16 P. 13-28 File size 280 KB
DOI 10.3280/ES2025-003002
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This essay aims to investigate the causes of work invisibility from a perspective understudied in the literature: the organizational models, both formal and informal, of trade union organizations, with a specific focus on internal democracy. Through an exploratory study, the essay examines the theoretical debate on the dialectic between democracy and oligarchy within unions, providing critical insights to guide future investigations and actionresearch paths. The intent is to address the crisis of representation by intervening in the organizational “bottlenecks” that, as highlighted by Riccardo Terzi, hinder the eruption of vital energies from civil society into the political space.

Keywords: Trade Union Democracy, Workers Invisibility, Riccardo Terzi, Iron Law of Oligarchy, Representation, Participation, Social Conflict

Jel codes: J51, J50, D71

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Chiara Bonaiuti, Invisibilità del lavoro e democrazia sindacale: una prospettiva di ricerca su rappresentanza e partecipazione in "ECONOMIA E SOCIETÀ REGIONALE " 3/2025, pp 13-28, DOI: 10.3280/ES2025-003002