The European construction social partners: gender equality in theory and practice

This article explores the social partners' role in the gender equality agenda in construction at skilled operative level. It draws on a survey of the European construction social partners that investigated the presence of women in skilled trades and the policies, collective agreements and practices that play a role in women's integration. The responses indicate that the construction industry still displays inertia and conservatism, and that the social partners corroborate rather than counter this. They express a 'discourse' of gender equality, but this does not automatically lead to equal opportunity policies or programmes. The social partners have the platform to make inroads and to change the industry from within, but need further encouragement to put this on their agenda

Statutory union recognition provisions as stimulants to employer anti-unionism in three Anglo-Saxon countries

The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Economic and Industrial Democracy, 31 (1) 2010, copyright Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden on SAGE Journals Online. Original article can be found at: http://online.sagepub.com/This article examines why employer opposition is stimulated by the introduction of statutory union recognition provisions in Britain, Ireland and the US. It examines the impact of the provisions for encouraging union organizing, which in turn stimulates employer anti-unionism, which then negates the intention of the provisions.Peer reviewe

The context-dependent nature of small firms' relations with support agencies : a three-sector study in the UK

Strategic networking is widely seen to be important for small firms, but most attention has been given to the operation of networks rather than the nature of links with firms' strategies and resources. The article addresses these links through a study of 89 firms in three sectors. Variations in their involvement in external relationships are the focus. Previous theory suggests that product market conditions and firms' internal structures, such as reliance on family labour, will explain the level of involvement. The evidence supports some of these ideas but also shows that the context of the sector is central. For firms, the lesson is to develop distinct kinds of external relationship, depending on the firm's context and strategic position. The policy implication is that business support agencies need to be sensitive to these highly specific contextual factors