Industry 4.0 and its effect on trade unions in the metal industry: The example of IF Metall and Türk Metal Sendikası

Industry 4.0, the concept that defines the Fourth Industrial Revolution, creates radical transformations in working life like other industrial revolutions that came before it. With the concept of Industry 4.0, traditional working practices change and the qualifications expected from employees differ. This situation affects labor unions, which are one of the most important actors of industrial relations and encourages them to new searches in its policies and strategies. Therefore, it is an interesting research subject that which situations the trade unions will encounter in the Industry 4.0 process and how they will react it. In this study, firstly, the effects of Industry 4.0 on the trade unions organized in the metal industry will be examined. After that, a road map will be created for trade unions organized in the metal sector in Turkey by focusing on the experiences of IF Metall, the union that organizes the workers in the metal industry in Sweden.