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Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.5559/di.23.4.02

Felt Job Insecurity and Union Membership: The Case of Temporary Workers

Nele De Cuyper ; Research Group Work, Organization and Personnel Psychology, KU Leuven, Belgium
Hans De Witte ; Research Group Work, Organization and Personnel Psychology, KU Leuven, Belgium; North-West University, South Africa
Magnus Sverke ; North-West University, South Africa; Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Sweden
Johnny Hellgren ; Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Sweden
Katharina Näswall ; Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Sweden; University of Canterbury, New Zealand


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Abstract

The present study investigates the relationship between felt job
insecurity and union membership accounting for potential differences
between temporary and permanent workers. Consistent
with the idea that felt job insecurity leads workers to seek social
protection from the unions, and with earlier studies, we hypothesize
a positive relationship between felt job insecurity and union
membership (Hypothesis 1). Furthermore, we argue that this
relationship may be stronger among temporary compared with
permanent workers (Hypothesis 2): insecure temporary workers
are in a situation of 'double vulnerability', hence they have strong
motives for unionization. Hypotheses are tested in a cross-
-sectional sample of 560 Flemish (Dutch-speaking part of
Belgium) workers. Our results were as follows: the relationship
between felt job insecurity and union membership was not significant.
The interaction term between contract type and felt job
insecurity was significantly related to union membership: the relationship
between felt job insecurity and union membership was
positive among temporary workers, but not among permanent
workers. This pattern of results may inspire unions to target future
recruitment strategies on temporary workers. A route for future
research could be to test our hypotheses also longitudinally.

Keywords

contingent employment; fixed-term employment; job insecurity; social protection; union

Hrčak ID:

133945

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/133945

Publication date:

31.12.2014.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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