The debate on globalization and international revitalization of labour

This article discusses some alternative or critical theoretical contributions regarding globalization and labor. The main question in this discussion is if there are changes in direction of a possible revitalization of labor movements and if international solidarity can increase due to globalization. This question also relates to discussions of changes in division of work, the concept of work, working class, commodification, decommodification, and new centers of global production—all related to different paradigms or new concepts. The reason or need for reconceptualizing comes from the great transformation of capitalism in forms of neoliberal globalization, in a different direction than predicted by Polanyi. That is, instead of increased public sector decommodification (not profit- or market-oriented production) and national regulation, embedding capitalist markets, as seen after 1945, the last three decades have witnessed a countertransformation and large-scale recommodification by privatizing, disembedding, and deregulating global markets. As a consequence, inequality in income and working life conditions has increased in most countries and been used to press trade unions. Western industrial unions have been declining as many industries and labor-intensive, low-paid jobs moved to developing countries. Most blue-collar jobs are now in Asia, especially China, with about one-third of its employment blue collars. Is the center of global capital-labor contradictions and dynamics moving to the South, with a possibility of a new revitalization of labor and international solidarity? We discuss different optimistic and pessimistic views on a possible international revitalization of labor

The Debate on Globalization and International Revitalization of Labor. A Critical Review

This article discusses some alternative or critical theoretical contributions regarding globalization and labor. The main question in this discussion is if there are changes in direction of a possible revitalization of labor movements and if international solidarity can increase due to globalization. This question also relates to discussions of changes in division of work, the concept of work, working class, commodification, decommodification, and new centers of global production—all related to different paradigms or new concepts. The reason or need for reconceptualizing comes from the great transformation of capitalism in forms of neoliberal globalization, in a different direction than predicted by Polanyi. That is, instead of increased public sector decommodification (not profit- or market-oriented production) and national regulation, embedding capitalist markets, as seen after 1945, the last three decades have witnessed a countertransformation and large-scale recommodification by privatizing, disembedding, and deregulating global markets. As a consequence, inequality in income and working life conditions has increased in most countries and been used to press trade unions. Western industrial unions have been declining as many industries and labor-intensive, low-paid jobs moved to developing countries. Most blue-collar jobs are now in Asia, especially China, with about one-third of its employment blue collars. Is the center of global capital-labor contradictions and dynamics moving to the South, with a possibility of a new revitalization of labor and international solidarity? We discuss different optimistic and pessimistic views on a possible international revitalization of labor

Multinational Human Resource-politik og interne arbejdsmarkeder i danske virksomheder

Artiklen diskuterer udvikling af HR-politik og interne arbejdsmarkeder i nogle højteknologiske og vidensintensive danske multinationale virksomheder i Singapore og Malaysia. De to lande har sat udviklingen af informations- og videnssamfundet højt på dagsordenen-og forsøgt at skabe alliancer med højteknologiske og vidensintensive multinationale virksomheder for at realisere en proaktiv strategi for udvikling af menneskelige ressourcer. Hvad er en for vidensintensive virksomheders prioritering af HR-politik, og hvilke barrierer er der for overførsel og implementering af denne politik i de to lande

Comprehensive analysis of the start-up period of a full-scale drinking water biofilter provides guidance for optimization

Abstract. The use of biofilters to produce drinking water from anaerobic groundwater is widespread in some European countries. A major disadvantage of biofilters is the long start-up period required for virgin filter medium to become fully functional. Although individual aspects of biofilter start-up have previously been investigated, no comprehensive study in full-scale using inherent inoculation has previously been documented. A thorough investigation of a full-scale drinking water biofilter was carried out over 10 weeks of start-up. The many spatial and temporal changes taking place during start-up were documented using a holistic approach. In addition to collection of many samples over time (frequency) and space (filter depth), this study entailed the use of multiple sample media (water, backwash water and filter media) and multiple types of analyses (physical, chemical and microbiological). The decrease in filter effluent concentrations of individual substances to compliance levels followed a specific order that was shown to coincide with the spatial-temporal development of bacteria on the filter media. Due to the abiotic nature of the iron removal process, iron disappears first followed by substances that require growth of microorganisms: ammonium, with nitrite appearing briefly near the end of ammonium removal, then manganese. The thorough overall picture obtained by these efforts provides guidance for optimization and monitoring of the start-up. Guidance include to shorten the start-up by focusing on kick-start of the ammonium removal, to limit the monitoring burden to at-line measurements of ammonium in finished water samples supplemented with manual manganese measurements when ammonium removal is complete, and to improve filter design by isolating the removal processes in separate, smaller filters. </jats:p