In December 2008, the killing of a 15-year-old boy by a police officer sparked a series of violent clashes between police and demonstrators all over Greece. This contentious episode, usually referred to as the ''December Riots'', was by no means connected to labour claims, nor the demonstrations were supported by the official Greek union structure. Howbeit, in the months that followed, several grass-roots unions and labour organizations were formed in Athens, Greece, in workplaces where flexible labour relations prevail. In a series of interviews conducted during that period, the new unions'' founding members pointed out that the ''December Riots'' were an important turning point towards their union formation. The events served both as a meeting point for young, non-unionised workers and as a node, where incentives and resources for further mobilization could be produced and circulated. In this paper, based on empirical data gathered from various sources, I argue that flexible workers'' unionising activities are strongly intertwined with the wider social movement environment. The framing of a ''precarious worker'' collective identity is a prerequisite for undertaking collective action in flexible workplaces. Yet, this framing mechanism is rounded out both inside and outside the workplace. During “eventful protests” -such as the ones that took place throughout the ''December Riots'', cognitive, relational and emotional processes are set in motion. Thus, major movement episodes may prove to be crucial observation points for researching and understanding flexible labour unionism.
