Mondige burger, stille werker? / Outspoken Citizen, Silent Worker? Why Saving Democracy Starts at Work

An inspiring story about support for change, public imagination, the trade union as a political emancipation machine and a driving force for autonomy. At school, you learn to think critically. To stand up for your own opinions. For quite a few people, that stops the moment they start working. Doing what your boss says eight hours a day: the consequences reverberate even in their free time. Employees of authoritarian companies or companies without unions, every study shows, generally believe less in democracy. But the reverse also appears to be true: sow democracy at work, and you reap democrats in society. These days, few people make the connection between the workplace and political democracy. It used to be different. During the rise of fascism, some thinkers even believed that the keys to saving it lay there. "Without democracy at work," it was said, "no democracy in society." Today, hierarchical, capitalist organizational models resemble religion. Assertive citizen, silent worker? goes against the divine order. An inspiring story about support for change, public imagination, the union as a political emancipation machine, and a catalyst for empowerment. Stan De Spiegelaere is a visiting professor at Ghent University and director of policy and research at the European trade union federation UNI Europa.