European Journal of Industrial Relations 19(2) 109–125 © The Author(s) 2013 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0959680113481735 ejd.sagepub.com Refocusing studies of post-communist trade unions Mihai Varga Freie Universität Berlin, Germany Abstract This article argues that we know little about whether and how post-communist trade unions mastered the massive task of turning from organizations of communist control over the workplace into representation mechanisms for workers. An initial way to deal with these issues is to re- conceptualize our explanandum from trade union strength to worker interest representation. I use a study of nine factory-level trade unions in the Romanian and Ukrainian metal sectors to explore the merits and the limitations of an approach based on the study of worker interest representation. Keywords Post-communist, Romania, trade unions, Ukraine, worker interest representation Introduction With few exceptions, trade unions played no important role in shaping the direction and extent of market reforms in Eastern Europe after 1989. A growing literature has mapped the extent to which post-communist trade unions have failed to reach a level of political influence similar to that in Western Europe, uncovering numerous reasons for this. Yet the focus on influence alone has ignored other very important questions for post-communist trade unions. We still do not know how they re-built their relationship with members, as most post-communist trade unions – and most certainly the largest – have their roots not in working-class mobilization but in bureaucratic organizations set up under communism to ensure a productive labour force. We also know little about how and to what extent unions ensure their autonomy from management. During commu- nism, trade unions were under management control; and though most countries subse- quently recognized trade union autonomy from management by law, achieving Corresponding author: Mihai Varga, Osteuropa-Institut, Freie Universität Berlin, Garystraße 55, 14195 Berlin, Germany. Email: mihai.varga@fu-berlin.de 481735EJD 19 2 10.1177/0959680113481735European Journal of Industrial RelationsVarga 2013 Article