Patterns of transnational trade union cooperation in Europe: The effect of regimes, sectors and resources

an article by Patrik Vulkan and Bengt Larsson (Göteborgs Universitet, Sweden) published in European Journal of Industrial Relations Volume 25 Issue 2 (June 2019)

Abstract

How far, in what ways and on what issues do trade unions in Europe cooperate cross-nationally?

Three important structural factors may explain differences in cooperation:

• national industrial relations contexts,
• sectoral contexts and
• unions’ organizational resources.

We examine transnational union cooperation at sectoral level, and test the explanatory value of these three factors. We address cooperation in five broad sectors, using a Europe-wide questionnaire-based survey of trade union activities.

We find that sectoral differences explain more of the variation in levels of transnational cooperation than do industrial relations regimes when controlling for resources, whereas both sectors and regimes influence which issues are seen as important for current and future cooperation.

In addition, small trade unions engage in much less transnational cooperation than large ones.

Full text (PDF 16pp)

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The establishing of a European industrial relations system: Still under construction or chasing a chimera?

an article by Sergio González Begega and Mona Aranea (University of Oviedo, Spain) published in Employee Relations Volume 40 Issue 4 (2018)

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine European Union (EU) industrial relations in their development over time. It describes and analyzes their main constituent parts, which are deployed along four interlinked institutional dimensions: tripartite concertation; cross-industry social dialogue; sectoral social dialogue; and employee representation and negotiation at the transnational company level. The focus lies strictly on the emerging EU layer of industrial relations, which is common to the different Member States and not on comparative European industrial relations.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper is conceptual in nature. It considers the differences and mutually interdependent legal and political processes, policies and institutions between EU industrial relations and national industrial relations.

Findings
The findings substantiate that EU industrial relations constitute an incomplete but perfectly traceable transnational reality distinct from industrial relations in the Member States. EU industrial relations are not to supersede but to supplement national industrial relations. Neither the EU institutional framework nor the European social partners have the mandate, legitimation or desire to perform a more ambitious role.

Research limitations/implications
More empirically oriented research would further support the findings in the paper.

Originality/value
The paper presents a conceptual review based on a comprehensive and critical reading of the literature on EU industrial relations. It also puts labor strategies at the forefront of the analysis in corporate relocation.

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Sixty years after Titmuss: New findings on occupational welfare in Europe

an article by David Natali (Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy), Maarten Keune (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands), Emmanuele Pavolini (University of Macerata, Italy) and Martin Seeleib‐Kaiser (Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Germany) published in Social Policy & Administration Volume 52 Issue 2 (March 2018)

Abstract

Following the seminal work of Richard Titmuss, who coined the term occupational welfare (OW) 60 years ago, the article approaches OW provision in Europe today.

We first define OW as the sum of extra‐statutory social benefits and services provided by employers and/or trade unions as a result of employment.

We then look at its recent evolution: OW expenditure and coverage have been increasing significantly in Europe since the 1990s. While pensions are still the main policy area of OW, the latter has also advanced in other social protection areas (e.g., health insurance, reconciliation).

This has led to four different ideal types of OW – defined on the base of their organizing principle (voluntarism vs. collectivism) and the level of OW scheme coverage and expenditure. By looking at the main drivers of OW, the analysis has found no evidence of a “crowding out” effect between public welfare and OW.

Collective bargaining, national political economy, and the timing of reforms prove to be important factors explaining the OW development. As for the present and future of OW, dualization is a major risk. At present, the main fault lines created by OW follow sectoral, industry, company size, and occupational group lines.

To avoid the worsening of inequalities originated by OW, even in those countries which were able in the past to avoid dualization, strong industrial relations may play a key role.

The article concludes with some suggestions on the agenda of future OW research.

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Bringing the “right to request” flexible working arrangements to life: from policies to practices

an article by Rae Cooper and Marian Baird (Unviversity of Sydney, Australia) published in Employee Relations Volume 37 Issue 5 (2015)

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand how the “right to request” flexible working arrangements (FWAs), located in national policy and in organisational policy contexts, are brought to life in the workplace by employees and their managers. The authors seek to understand the nature and content of requests, the process followed in attending to requests, the scope of the arrangements which resulted and the implications for the work of both employees and managers.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors employ a case study method, investigating how formal “right to request” FWAs policies translate to practice within two large companies in Australia. The primary data focuses on 66 in-depth interviews with line managers, employees and key organisational informants. These interviews are triangulated with legislative, company and union policy documents.

Findings
Most requests were made by mothers returning from maternity leave. Typically their requests involved an attempt to move from full-time to part-time hours. The authors found a considerable knowledge deficit among the employees making requests and a high level of informality in the processing of requests. As a result, managers played a critical role in structuring both the procedure and the substantive outcomes of FWAs requests. Managers’ personal experience and levels of commitment to FWAs were critical in the process, but their response was constrained by, among other things, conflicting organisational policies.

Research limitations/implications
The scale of the empirical research is possibly limited by a focus on large companies in the private sector.

Practical implications
The authors provide insight into the implementation gap between FWA policy and practice. The authors make suggestions as to how to make “right to request” policies more accessible and effective.

Social implications
The “right to request” flexible working is an issue of critical importance to families, employees, managers, organisations and economies.

Originality/value
“Right to request” FWAs are relatively new in legislation and policy and thus the authors have an incomplete understanding of how they operate and come to life at the workplace level. The authors show a significant implementation gap between policy and practice and point to some of the critical influences on this. Among other things, the authors build new insight in relation to the interaction of formal and informal and the role and place of the direct manager in the process of operationalising the “right to request”.

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Sharing Risks of Labour Market Transitions: Towards a System of Employment Insurance

an article by Günther Schmid (Social Science Research Centre Berlin (WZB), Free University of Berlin) published in British Journal of Industrial Relations Volume 53 Issue 1 (March 2015)

Abstract

The increasing polarization of the labour market is closely related to the spread of non-standard employment relationships that largely results from poor risk management of critical transitions over the life course.

The question, therefore, arises whether labour market regulation, in particular unemployment insurance, is still properly designed for the new world of work.

This article argues for an extension of unemployment insurance towards a system of employment insurance by summarizing the concept of transitional labour markets, indicating the risks that challenge current and future labour markets, laying the theoretical groundwork, and discussing the main features of an employment insurance system.

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Workplace trade union activists in UK service sector organising campaigns

an article by Melanie Simms (Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK) published in Industrial Relations Journal Volume 44 Issue 4 (July 2013)

Abstract

This article examines the roles of activists as they develop during campaigns to establish a workplace union presence. Evidence shows that there is surprising variation within and between campaigns, which is explained by:

1. management decision making;
2. union policies and structures; and
3. the skills of the activists themselves.

This suggests UK union organising places considerable emphasis on supporting workplace activists with the knowledge, skills, and expertise of organisers and officers in the wider union.

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Objective but not detached: Partisanship in industrial relations research

an article by Ralph Darlington (University of Salford, UK) and John Dobson (Riga International School of Economics and Business Administration, Latvia) published in Capital & Class Volume 37 Number 2 (June 2013)

Abstract

This article considers whether industrial relations (IR) research is objective, impartial or value-free, and argues that many IR academics in Britain have tended to start from a social-democratic premise which makes them relatively more sympathetic to the interests and objectives of workers and their trade unions than to the business needs of employers and managers.

Focusing attention on the partisanship of those who have made a distinctive ‘radical/critical’ contribution to IR scholarship, it advances the argument that IR can, at one and the same time, be both partisan and objective.

Acknowledging the real potential dangers of bias in adopting a methodological approach that states, in the words of C. Wright Mills, ‘I have tried to be objective, but I do not claim to be detached’, it provides a defence of the potential merits of partisanship, provided it is underpinned by rigorous scholarly research.

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Industrial relations in the EU at a glance

Do you need to understand how industrial relations work in each of the EU Member States? Who are the main actors, how does social partnership operate in practice and what are the main issues on the collective bargaining agenda?

Since 1996, Eurofound’s European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO) has provided a unique depth and breadth of information on industrial relations developments across Europe. EIRO’s set of industrial relations country profiles provide detailed information on the nuts and bolts of industrial relations in 34 European countries.

Recently updated, the profiles include an overview of the main features, actors, processes and outcomes in each country.

Speaking in Brussels on 11 April at the launch of the European Commission’s report on Industrial relations in Europe in 2012, Employment Commissioner László Andor said that there was ‘a clear need to revitalise industrial relations across Europe’ in light of the recent crisis. Eurofound contributed to the report with its research findings on industrial relations, as well as drafting the chapter on ‘Greening the social dialogue’.

The IR country profiles are available for download

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Workplace mediation and the empowerment of disputants: rhetoric or reality?

an article by Tony Bennett (Lancashire Business School, University of Central Lancashire, UK) published in Industrial Relations Journal Volume 44 Issue 2 (March 2013)

Abstract

There has been a growing interest in the field of employee relations in the use of mediation in seeking to resolve disputes in the workplace.

Mediation is a model of dispute resolution, it is argued, that lends itself particularly well to situations where the parties have become entrenched in their positions.

The study’s timeliness is evident in the government’nt strategic focus on workplace conflict, specifically its current initiative to pilot mediation networks within the small and medium enterprises sector.

The research was carried out over a nine-month period ending in March 2012. It is based on the views and experiences of 60 respondents from over 40 cross-sectoral organisations in the North of England.

Findings revealed that the main reasons for the disputes referred for mediation were relationship problems, poor communication and poorly perceived management style and practice. Significantly, differences in sector or occupation could also impact on whether cases went to mediation.

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Wages: A working conditions and industrial relations perspective - Background paper

A background paper (EF/13/07/EN) by Christine Aumayr-Pintar, Jorge Cabrita and David Foden for Eurofound

This paper looks at wages from the perspective of individual employees, discussed in conjunction with their working conditions, and from the perspective of the industrial relations system.

It gives a comparative overview of the levels of collective wage setting and how they are set throughout Europe and goes on to report on reforms, changes or debates linked to these processes between the different actors at both the Member State and the European level in 2011 and 2012.

Full text (PDF 32pp)

© European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, 2013

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The decline of British trade unionism: markets, actors and institutions

an article by John Kelly (Birkbeck College, London, UK) published in Industrial Relations Journal Volume 43 Issue 4 (July 2012)

Abstract

This paper first describes the evolution of Willy Brown’s thinking on trade union membership and collective bargaining coverage.

The second part explores some of the issues around his growing conviction about the role of product markets and offers some critical reflections about his analysis of product markets by drawing on comparative evidence.

The final section turns to his analyses and prescriptions for trade union strategy.

Hazel’s comment:
Not having access to the full article is not often a disadvantage is providing an abstract to my faithful readers – most of you know how to find “the full thing” if necessary or will ask through the comments about access to the journal.
However, I suspect that many of you, like me, will be thinking “Willy who?”. I tried a search and I think I may have found the right man – a professor at Cambridge University.
Perhaps someone could inform me if I’ve got it wrong!

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Organisational approaches to flexible working: Perspectives of equality and diversity managers in the UK

an article by Jean Gardiner and Jennifer Tomlinson (Leeds University Business School, University of Leeds) published in Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal Volume 28 Issue 8 (2012)

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to, first, explore flexible working as an important but under-researched dimension of equality and diversity (E&D) and, second, contribute to employment relations debates by exploring organisational perspectives on flexible working and how these connect with business strategies and the regulatory context.
Design/methodology/approach
In depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 E&D managers in ten public and private sector organisations. Interviews explored the role of E&D managers in the construction of flexible working arrangements (FWAs) and drivers underpinning them.
Findings
Flexible working was most evident as a significant field of E&D practice where E&D was linked into business strategy and was well resourced. The key roles of E&D managers in relation to FWAs were policy innovation and monitoring. Four organisational rationales for FWAs were identified from the data. These were FWA constructed as: an individual employee benefit; a means of improving operational effectiveness; an integral part of organisational strategy; and as a means of addressing structural social inequalities.
Research limitations/implications
While the sample is small, the research is of value to both researchers and policy makers, offering insights on an under-researched area of E&D policy and practice.
Practical implications
This paper outlines different rationales for flexible working and shows how some organisations are able to develop flexible working policies that are more equitable and effective than other organisations.
Originality/value
The originality lies in the use of E&D managers as informants of organisational approaches to FWAs, which to date has been under-researched in terms of its connection with E&D policy and practice.

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Using equality to challenge austerity: new actors, old problems

an article by Hazel Conley (Queen Mary University of London) published in Work Employment & Society Volume 26 Number 3 (April 2012)

Abstract

This article critically examines the potential for ‘new actors’ in industrial relations to use developments in equality law to challenge government economic policy.

The author draws on documentary analysis of the Fawcett Society’s attempt to gain a judicial review of the 2010 emergency budget alongside legal theory in relation to reflexive regulation and literature that examines ‘new actors’ in industrial relations.

The aim is to stimulate debate on the role of the state and social movements in pursuing gender equality and how the latter might compete with or complement the role of trade unions. The concluding argument is that, while reflexive legislation provides opportunities for social movements to complement trade union activity, the role of the state remains contradictory, ultimately thwarting legal enforcement of equality when its economic authority and the interests of capital are threatened.

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Defying Extinction: ...

the revival of the strike in UK employment relations

an article by Alan Tuckman (Nottingham Trent University) published in WorkingUSA Volume13 Issue 3 (September 2010)

Abstract
It could be argued that, as in many Western countries, there is the disappearance of the strike in increasingly mature employment relations. At a political level, the election of a coalition Conservative–Liberal Democrat government might enhance this image of growing consensus. However, challenging the features that might account for the decline of the strike, a number of current disputes in the UK are examined. Particular attention is given to the strike and long-term conflicts at British Airways (BA). The strike by the BA cabin crew indicates the perseverance of traditional employment relations in privatised industry. It also indicates the use of the legal system by employers to frustrate the workers and trade unions’ right to take strike action through implementation of draconian rule. Conclusions are indicated on the possibility of UK workers and trade unions taking militant action against public sector cuts similar to that already taken in Ireland, Greece and Spain.

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