Collaboration in civil society: relations between charities and trade unions in Spain and the United Kingdom

This article examines collaboration between two important civil society actors – trade unions and charities – in both Spain and the United Kingdom. While previous research focuses on the implications of such collaboration for trade union revitalisation, this article aims to understand this collaboration on its own merits, with a view to improving services to members and clients. It examines how respondents view collaboration, the current state of collaboration, and the obstacles that must be overcome. Data from 63 interviews indicate that while collaboration generally was viewed positively, UK respondents expressed more caution than their Spanish counterparts. Obstacles, particularly in the United Kingdom, included charities’ caution about collaboration due to both their dependence on state funding and the collective bargaining activities of unions within the charitable sector. The Spanish unions’ greater institutional power resources and how they managed them explain the more positive approach to collaboration among Spanish charities.