Conventional regulation, union action and atypical employees: The case of the cleaning services industry in Valencia

Abstract

Several studies show that atypical wage-earners and trade unions rarely converge. In analysing this mismatch, we ask: does collective bargaining protect precarious workers, does it reduce inequality and favour their integration?, and is it a platform for collective action?

This paper aims to answer these questions through the study of a conventional regulation programme in the cleaning service sector of the province of Valencia, in which atypical conditions are already widely extended. This is one of the first approaches to this problem, as little research has focused on the first question, and the second and third issues remain unexplored. Indeed, the high number of individual and collective conflicts shows failure to comply with the labour conditions agreed upon. This incompliance with collective agreements will prevent the homogenization and integration of cleaning workers.

The data was drawn from documental and statistical sources (from records in the Local Arbitration Court), as well as from a discussion group and eight in-depth interviews of qualified professionals.