Unionizing labour immigrants

Only among 24 per cent of the labour immigrants in Norway are members of a trade union. In this project, we investigate why this is so. There is a need for more knowledge about how trade unions work to reach migrant workers and what experiences the organized migrant workers have had.

In workplaces with collective agreements and organized employees, a significantly higher number of immigrant workers are organized. In other words, it is possible to organize this group of workers. But what does it take? The purpose will partly be to identify successful recruitment methods (strategies/techniques) but also to gain a better understanding of the driving forces and barriers to organizing. Qualitative interviews will be conducted with trade unions, clubs, and immigrant workers who hold union positions in construction, cleaning, fishing industry, hotel and restaurant, and health and care sectors.