This article investigates whether differences in trade union identity can explain local and national variations in union strategy. To do so, it compares the divergent responses of unions to healthcare privatisation initiatives across six cases in England and France. It brings together the often disparate literatures on union identity, strategy and mobilisation and presents a new conceptual model to explicate these differences by linking a union’s identity to union strategy via two core framing processes: diagnostic framing and prognostic framing. Findings reveal that unions respond differently to healthcare privatisation initiatives, irrespective of the local and national context. Union identity influenced how they framed the threats and opportunities around them, shaping their expectations in terms of effective action. Union identity not only explains divergent responses but is also responsible for path dependencies which would make it potentially more difficult for unions to overcome structural constraints and learn from other groups.

中文翻译：

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旧习难改？工会身份和框架过程在制定战略中的作用


本文研究了工会身份的差异是否可以解释地方和国家工会策略的差异。为此，它比较了英国和法国的六个案例中工会对医疗保健私有化举措的不同反应。它汇集了关于工会身份、战略和动员的不同文献，并提出了一个新的概念模型，通过两个核心框架过程（诊断框架和预后框架）将工会身份与工会战略联系起来，从而解释这些差异。调查结果显示，无论地方和国家背景如何，工会对医疗保健私有化举措的反应都不同。工会身份影响他们如何看待周围的威胁和机遇，塑造他们对有效行动的期望。工会身份不仅解释了不同的反应，而且还造成了路径依赖，这可能使工会更难克服结构性限制并向其他群体学习。