Reconsidering Power, Interests and Actor Relations in Labour Studies: The Case of the Privatisation in the Port of Hamburg

Abstract

This article proposes an extension of the Power Resource Approach (PRA) that systematically addresses central criticisms of the original framework. We argue that a comprehensive understanding of labour conflicts in capitalist societies necessitates at least three conceptual elaborations: (1) a relational perspective on labour conflicts and power dynamics; (2) an emphasis on the heterogeneity of (collective) interests and orientations that both enable and constrain collective action; and (3) a reconceptualisation of employers as active counterparts in labour relations, equipped with their own interests, orientations, and power resources. Particular attention is paid to bargaining processes between antagonistic actor groups and to the often contradictory interests and normative orientations that shape action and inform the mobilisation of power resources. This actor-centred perspective aims to contribute to a more differentiated and empirically grounded understanding of labour relations. The analytical potential of the extended framework is illustrated through the empirical case of resistance to port privatisation in Hamburg, Germany