Trade unions and Digitalisation in Norway and the UK: Findings from the food and drink processing sector

A report of research findings from a Leverhulme-funded research project entitled, 'Digital technologies and job quality: do trade unions make a difference?', RPG-2019-275

Trade unions and Digitalisation in Norway and the UK: Findings from the grocery retail sector

These are first-view research findings from a Leverhulme-funded research project entitled, 'Digital Technologies and Job Quality: Do Trade Unions Make A Difference?'; RPG-2019-275

Trade unions and Digitalisation in Norway and the UK: Findings from the Banking Sector

A research report based on findings from a Leverhulme-funded research project: 'Digital technologies and job quality: do trade unions make a difference?' (RPG-2019-275

The Nature And Structuration Of Management Control In Knowledge Intensive Work A Study Of Information Technology Services Work In India

The recent decades have been characterised by an increasing share of services work, not only in industrial and developed economies, but also in several developing economies. The growth of several forms of knowledge-intensive work have been integral to these transitions. The following study is an examination of the nature of labour processes and management controls within a type of knowledge-intensive work, specifically Information Technology Services or ITS work. The study is based in the city of Bengaluru, which is located in the State of Karnataka in the southern part of India, and is host to the largest centre of the IT industry in India. The study is qualitative in nature and relies principally on semi-structured interviews — with ITS workers, managers, trade union representatives and government officials — and combines it with a detailed examination of the extant labour institutions that regulate various aspects of work. The study examines the nature and operationalisation of managerial controls in ITS workby utilising an analytical framework based on Edwards’ (1979) conceptualisations of technical and bureaucratic managerial controls. The study analyses the labour process via management controls, but goes further by uncovering and building connections between the managerial controls and labour regulations. The study argues that the selection and nature of managerial control strategies are closely inter-linked and often determined by the scope and extent of local labour institutions. These linkages, between managerial controls and labour legislations, can be found in various aspects related to the management of grievances and separation (resignations and dismissals). Strong contestations also arise between managements and workers over these issues, and the contestations are explored through several examples from the field research data. Overall, the study makes a contribution to a deeper understanding of the basis and form of managerial strategies that seek to extend control over knowledge intensive work.</div

‘They tell us after they’ve decided things’: a cross-country analysis of unions and digitalisation in retail

The role of trade unions in the social shaping of digital technologies is a vital question for research, public policy and social justice. This article draws on interviews with two unions in the grocery retail sector in the UK and Norway, and examines their involvement in technology decisions, and whether they can shape better outcomes for workers. By comparing a ‘neo-liberal’ economy and a ‘Nordic welfare state’, the article considers whether stronger institutional power and regulatory supports in Norway provide for greater influence in a sector regarded as challenging for unions. The findings indicate relatively few country differences and help shed light on the factors that enable and constrain unions’ role in digitalisation

‘They tell us after they’ve decided things’: a cross-country analysis of unions and digitalisation in retail

The role of trade unions in the social shaping of digital technologies is a vital question for research, public policy and social justice. This article draws on interviews with two unions in the grocery retail sector in the UK and Norway, and examines their involvement in technology decisions, and whether they can shape better outcomes for workers. By comparing a ‘neo-liberal’ economy and a ‘Nordic welfare state’, the article considers whether stronger institutional power and regulatory supports in Norway provide for greater influence in a sector regarded as challenging for unions. The findings indicate relatively few country differences and help shed light on the factors that enable and constrain unions’ role in digitalisation