European-level Industrial and Class Relations in the Wake of the Eurozone Crisis

European labour has suffered a great number of defeats since the Eurozone Crisis began in October, 2009. In the crisis response, the EU implemented policies that have consistently prioritized the needs of capital over those of the working class. This thesis uses a class-based analysis to contextualize industrial relations at the European level during the Eurozone crisis. It concludes that the outcome of the crisis was grounded in the thirty years that preceded the crisis, during which time neoliberalism was engrained into the formation of the EU. The neoliberal policy set provided capital with a significant structural advantage and tied organize labour to structure in which it was structurally disadvantaged. Fundamentally, the weakness of labour is grounded in its lack structural power at the European level. In order to correct this, labour will have to take steps to build solidarity that is grounded on a common European identity.