Globalised management and local labour: the case of the white-goods industry in Turkey

This paper is concerned with the situation where goods are produced by workers in underdeveloped countries, in this case, consumer durables, under the direction of managements which have access to modern management techniques. In particular, it considers the significance of new management methods, especially Total Quality Management, for workers employed in white-goods manufacture in Turkey

The production and reproduction of trade union autocracy in the Turkish metalworking industry

The ability of developing countries to export to more developed parts of the world is often associated with cheap labour. But such very obvious economic advantage is not always the end of the story. A fuller account needs to consider the wider institutional context. In some instances trade unionism can be an important part of this. This paper addresses trade unionism with specific reference to workers employed in large firms in Turkey that are significant exporters of consumer goods to the European market. The union examined is the largest union in the metal industry, an industry that is a driving force in the Turkish economy, and a major centre of trade unionism with over half a million of Turkey’s 3 million trade unionists. The particular – autocratic – character of this union is critically examined and located with reference to wider forces of political economy and the specific constraints and difficulties to which its members are subject. Finally, the significance of this sort of trade unionism for economic – and socio-political – development is discussed

Labour in a global world: management strategy and worker response in the Turkish whitegoods industry

This paper is concerned with the situation where goods are produced by workers in underdeveloped countries, in this case, consumer durables, under the direction of managements which have access to modern management techniques. In particular, it considers the significance of new management methods, especially Total Quality Management, for workers employed in whitegoods manufacture in Turkey. It uses interviews and survey data from three plants in the Turkish whitegoods industry. Where possible comparative data from the British WERS 98 survey is introduced in order to help avoid false judgements about what is exceptional or different. The paper considers how and what managers know of new management techniques. It examines the nature of their implementation with respect to local conditions, especially with reference to ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ versions of TQM; and it seeks to show how workers’ evaluation of such workplaces is itself grounded in the particularities of their broader locally based expectations and opportunities

Global mortality from dementia : application of a newmethod and results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Introduction: Dementia is currently one of the leading causes of mortality globally, and mortality due to dementia will likely increase in the future along with corresponding increases in population growth and population aging. However, large inconsistencies in coding practices in vital registration systems over time and between countries complicate the estimation of global dementia mortality. Methods: We meta-analyzed the excess risk of death in those with dementia and multiplied these estimates by the proportion of dementia deaths occurring in those with severe, end-stage disease to calculate the total number of deaths that could be attributed to dementia. Results: We estimated that there were 1.62 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 0.41–4.21) deaths globally due to dementia in 2019. More dementia deaths occurred in women (1.06 million [0.27–2.71]) than men (0.56 million [0.14–1.51]), largely but not entirely due to the higher life expectancy in women (age-standardized female-tomale ratio 1.19 [1.10–1.26]). Due to population aging, there was a large increase in allage mortality rates from dementia between 1990 and 2019 (100.1% [89.1–117.5]). In 2019, deaths due to dementia ranked seventh globally in all ages and fourth among individuals 70 and older compared to deaths from other diseases estimated in the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. Discussion: Mortality due to dementia represents a substantial global burden, and is expected to continue to grow into the future as an older, aging population expands globally

Labour in a global world: management strategy and worker response in the Turkish whitegoods industry

This paper is concerned with the situation where goods are produced by workers in underdeveloped countries, in this case, consumer durables, under the direction of managements which have access to modern management techniques. In particular, it considers the significance of new management methods, especially Total Quality Management, for workers employed in whitegoods manufacture in Turkey. It uses interviews and survey data from three plants in the Turkish whitegoods industry. Where possible comparative data from the British WERS 98 survey is introduced in order to help avoid false judgements about what is exceptional or different. The paper considers how and what managers know of new management techniques. It examines the nature of their implementation with respect to local conditions, especially with reference to ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ versions of TQM; and it seeks to show how workers’ evaluation of such workplaces is itself grounded in the particularities of their broader locally based expectations and opportunities

The production and reproduction of trade union autocracy in the Turkish metalworking industry

The ability of developing countries to export to more developed parts of the world is often associated with cheap labour. But such very obvious economic advantage is not always the end of the story. A fuller account needs to consider the wider institutional context. In some instances trade unionism can be an important part of this. This paper addresses trade unionism with specific reference to workers employed in large firms in Turkey that are significant exporters of consumer goods to the European market. The union examined is the largest union in the metal industry, an industry that is a driving force in the Turkish economy, and a major centre of trade unionism with over half a million of Turkey’s 3 million trade unionists. The particular – autocratic – character of this union is critically examined and located with reference to wider forces of political economy and the specific constraints and difficulties to which its members are subject. Finally, the significance of this sort of trade unionism for economic – and socio-political – development is discussed

The relation between arrangements for health and safety and injury rates: the evidence-based case revisited

This paper re-examines the most influential analysis of the relation between worker representation and industrial injuries in British manufacturing, the work of Reilly et al, which appeared in the British Journal of Industrial Relations 33 (3). It argues that although this has been misinterpreted by some who cite it, the reliability of its authors’ findings must also be questioned. A step by step replication of their analysis of WIRS90 data is reported, followed by a further examination of data for WERS98. In neither case are the specific claims advanced in the original analysis robust enough to survive scrutiny. Only the more general conclusion that health and safety should not be left to management is adequately supported