Introduction: The contribution addresses the phenomenon of work solidarity within the Italian context, which is characterised by growing inequalities and diverse types of employment. Whilst trade unions find it challenging to offer solutions, "alternative" forms of organizations are emerging. These are driven by the desire to enhance workers' solidarity along a continuum ranging from individual empowerment to political development and mobilisation.
Purpose: The contribution is part of a wider research project that aims to map and understand the characteristics, actions and impacts of grass-roots organisations committed to address work inequalities in Italy. The presentation will discuss the profiles of these organisations, their approaches to solidarity and their distinctive challenges.
Method: To achieve the first objective a desk analysis was carried out (via consultation of major web search engines), integrated with exploratory interviews with key informants. Afterwards, to achieve the second objective, a cluster analysis was carried out on the mapped contexts, identifying different groups of solidarity organizations.
Results: via the mapping and cluster analysis of the 37 selected cases, four different organizational profiles are identified (ie: community-based, progressive, value-based and purpose-based organizations). The findings suggest that work solidarity is a nuanced and multifaceted experience, sustained by different organizational identities and strategies. Some solidarity organization are defined by traditional approaches to representation, a precise focus on individual empowerment and more exclusionary boundaries. Other, more "counter-hegemonic" ones, are characterized by a "solidarity in difference" approach, recognizing the value of their members' differences and integrating social with political mobilization.
Conclusions: The contribution provides a critical reflection on contemporary work solidarity and its organisation, analysing how variety and critical tensions emerge in a process of constant evolution and redefinition of the concept of 'work solidarity' itself, as evidenced by the Italian experience.