196 research outputs found
Trade Unions in Europe: Meeting the Challenge edited by Deborah Foster and Peter Scott, Brussels: P.I.E. Peter Lang, 2003, 200Â pages, ISBN 90-5201-959-2.
Still âRegime Competitionâ? Trade Unions and Multinational Restructuring in Europe
This article studies trade unionsâ response to transnational change in a large multinational corporation within the motor industry in Europe. We show how the use of the European Works Councils (EWCs) as a forum for European negotiation did not counter the managementâs effort to whipsaw trade unions, such as to play off workers against each other in local negotiations. This seems to suggest that the effort to network and coordinate between employee representatives, and to negotiate with management through âactiveâ EWCs is ineffective at controlling inter-union competition in cases of transnational restructuring. Hence, research outcomes illustrate that an analysis of the impact of European-level agreements on plant level is requested in order to assess the effectiveness of âactiveâ EWCs in forging cross-national links.Cet essai analyse la tentative des organisations syndicales de recourir aux comitĂ©s dâentreprise europĂ©ens (CEE) comme un instrument efficient en vue dâexercer un impact sur le rĂ©sultat dâun processus de restructuration transnationale dans une multinationale de lâindustrie de lâautomobile en Europe. Plus particuliĂšrement, il sâinspire dâune analyse de cas dâune restructuration transnationale au sein de General Motors-Europe (GM). Lâobjectif comporte deux volets. Dâabord, il cherche Ă comprendre et Ă Ă©valuer lâhabiletĂ© des comitĂ©s « actifs » (par exemple, ceux qui participent Ă la nĂ©gociation dâaccords au niveau europĂ©en) Ă dĂ©velopper des moyens efficaces pour le mouvement syndical europĂ©en dâinfluencer la prise de dĂ©cision managĂ©riale, tout en arrĂȘtant la surenchĂšre des employeurs auprĂšs des syndicats locaux dans le cas dâune restructuration transfrontaliĂšre. La surenchĂšre se prĂ©sente habituellement comme une tentative de la direction dâopposer les travailleurs les uns aux autres dans des nĂ©gociations locales. Ensuite, cet essai analyse les conditions liĂ©es Ă la capacitĂ© ou au manque de capacitĂ© des comitĂ©s Ă contenir la surenchĂšre syndicale.La recherche rĂ©vĂšle que les pratiques des comitĂ©s et leur impact sur la prise de dĂ©cision managĂ©riale varient fortement. LâĂ©ventail se prĂ©sente de la maniĂšre suivante : Ă un bout du continuum, on retrouve des comitĂ©s de nature « symbolique », impliquant un faible niveau dâinformation et aucune consultation formelle, peu ou pas de contact entre les reprĂ©sentants des salariĂ©s ou avec la direction, dont le rĂŽle se limite alors largement Ă une rencontre rituelle annuelle; ensuite, on constate la prĂ©sence dâorganismes plus actifs impliquant une action de rĂ©seautage continue de la part des employĂ©s et une liaison rĂ©guliĂšre avec la direction. Ă la fin de ce continuum, on peut identifier ceux qui exercent une certaine influence sur la prise de dĂ©cision managĂ©riale et mĂȘme ceux qui sâengagent dans une nĂ©gociation de textes conjoints tenant lieu dâaccord-cadre avec lâentreprise. Plus prĂ©cisĂ©ment, on soutient que les variations dans la capacitĂ© dâagir des comitĂ©s sont reliĂ©es Ă des Ă©lĂ©ments de structure (Marginson et autres, 2004) ou de reprĂ©sentation (Lecher et Rub, 1999; Lecher et autres, 2001). Au cours des derniĂšres annĂ©es, des Ă©tudes ont tentĂ© de rattacher ces recherches au thĂšme plus large de la coordination et du rĂ©seautage transfrontaliers des syndicats. Comme rĂ©sultante, lâhabiletĂ© des comitĂ©s Ă aider les syndicats Ă exercer une influence sur la prise de dĂ©cision des entreprises a Ă©tĂ© analysĂ©e en centrant lâattention sur leur capacitĂ© de crĂ©er des liens transnationaux.Cette Ă©tude comprend donc deux volets : elle cherche Ă connaĂźtre les facteurs qui influencent la capacitĂ© des comitĂ©s dâentreprise « actifs » dâexercer un impact sur les restructurations transfrontaliĂšres des entreprises et dans quelle mesure ces facteurs agissent, cela en coordonnant les stratĂ©gies des syndicats nationaux et les intĂ©rĂȘts des syndicats locaux au passage dâune frontiĂšre Ă lâautre. Elle sâintĂ©resse au cas de GM-Europe, oĂč le Forum europĂ©en des travailleurs, qui a Ă©tĂ© mis sur pied en 1996 pour ĂȘtre connu comme lâun des plus actifs des comitĂ©s en nĂ©gociant sur des enjeux liĂ©s Ă une restructuration transfrontaliĂšre, nĂ©gociait en 2004 un accord-cadre Ă lâĂ©chelle de lâEurope avec la direction centrale de GM, qui garantissait quâon nâassisterait pas Ă des fermetures dâusine ou Ă des rĂ©ductions forcĂ©es dâeffectif excĂ©dentaire. Les conclusions de cette Ă©tude laisse croire que des facteurs dâordre structurel ou de reprĂ©sentation ont eu un impact sur la capacitĂ© des reprĂ©sentants des salariĂ©s au sein des comitĂ©s dâexercer une influence sur la prise de dĂ©cision managĂ©riale transnationale, cela par lâobtention dâune promesse de la part de lâentreprise quâil nây aurait pas de fermeture dâusine, ni de rĂ©duction forcĂ©e de personnel. Cependant, le maniement du processus de restructuration dĂ©pendait fortement de lâaptitude dâun syndicat local Ă contrĂŽler la concurrence sur les salaires et les conditions de travail Ă travers les frontiĂšres. En dâautres termes, la nĂ©gociation dâaccords Ă lâĂ©chelle europĂ©enne avec la direction nâarrivait pas Ă contenir et Ă prĂ©venir la concurrence intersyndicale dans le cas de restructuration transnationale. Ceci est illustrĂ© par la diversitĂ© des nĂ©gociations locales qui Ă©taient parachevĂ©es par les syndicats locaux et les comitĂ©s dâentreprise dans les usines europĂ©ennes impliquĂ©es dans le processus de restructuration. Alors, la structure Ă lâĂ©chelle europĂ©enne, qui prenait la forme dâun accord-cadre, montre quâelle a apparemment peu dâeffet sur les rĂšglements Ă survenir au niveau dâune usine et Ă©galement sur la capacitĂ© dâĂ©tablir une coordination efficace transnationale des enjeux de nĂ©gociation. En bref, lâeffet consistait Ă faire des diffĂ©rents accords locaux des points de repĂšre, au lieu dâintĂ©grer ces enjeux dans un effort de coordination efficace.Cet essai fournit une explication Ă la faible influence que lâaccord Ă lâĂ©chelle europĂ©enne eĂ»t pu avoir sur le besoin dâarrĂȘter la surenchĂšre de la part de la direction par le truchement de ses liens avec les comitĂ©s et par son fonctionnement en rĂ©seau. On soutient que cela est attribuable aux comitĂ©s, qui nâont pu dĂ©velopper une capacitĂ© de nĂ©gociation collective formelle Ă lâĂ©chelle de lâentreprise, laquelle est habituellement laissĂ©e Ă la direction locale et dans les mains des reprĂ©sentants des salariĂ©s. Ceci implique que les nĂ©gociations Ă lâĂ©chelle europĂ©enne, lorsquâelles sont conduites Ă lâintĂ©rieur dâun accord-cadre europĂ©en par les conseils, prennent une allure facultative et se tiennent sans un impact formellement coordonnĂ© des syndicats Ă lâĂ©chelle europĂ©enne. Alors, les syndicats doivent encore exercer leur action Ă lâintĂ©rieur de la scĂšne nationale, oĂč se dĂ©roule le processus de nĂ©gociation formelle et oĂč les diffĂ©rences des structures de nĂ©gociation, les politiques du marchĂ© du travail et les traditions syndicales reflĂštent la diversitĂ© des stratĂ©gies syndicales et des intĂ©rĂȘts locaux. Ceci contribue Ă crĂ©er une situation oĂč la surenchĂšre due Ă la concurrence est facilitĂ©e et oĂč la pression exercĂ©e par la direction en faveur dâune nĂ©gociation de concession se trouve renforcĂ©e.Ă la lumiĂšre de ces observations tirĂ©es de la recherche, il se dĂ©gage des pistes de rĂ©flexion et des trajectoires possibles pouvant servir Ă des travaux subsĂ©quents sur les comitĂ©s dâentreprise en gĂ©nĂ©ral. Elles portent sur la nĂ©cessitĂ© dâaller au-delĂ dâun cas unique et simple, celui dâun rapport unidirectionnel entre une direction dâentreprise et un partenaire, au moment oĂč lâon propose dâexpliquer la capacitĂ© des comitĂ©s Ă agir de façon efficace dans les cas de restructuration transnationale. Comme lâillustre cette Ă©tude de cas, la capacitĂ© dâagir efficacement des comitĂ©s dĂ©pend aussi de la maniĂšre dont ils seront capables de dĂ©boucher sur des rĂ©sultats qui seraient le fruit dâune certaine coordination. Cela dĂ©pend aussi du contexte. On observe des diffĂ©rences significatives entre les syndicats, les institutions de relations du travail et la stratĂ©gie transfrontaliĂšre des entreprises. Dâautres recherches devraient Ă©tudier ces diffĂ©rences et Ă©valuer leur impact sur la nature des facteurs qui exercent une influence sur les pratiques des comitĂ©s. Ceci implique que, dâune maniĂšre plus gĂ©nĂ©rale, des recherches futures sur les comitĂ©s devront sâaccompagner dâune Ă©tude de lâinfluence du sommet vers la base des institutions Ă lâĂ©chelle europĂ©enne et dâapproches qui se prĂ©occupent de lâimpact des effets de la base vers le sommet. Il ressort de ce raisonnement quâil faut apprĂ©cier dans quelle mesure la capacitĂ© des syndicats europĂ©ens dâutiliser Ă lâavenir les comitĂ©s comme instrument dâinfluence sur la prise de dĂ©cision des entreprises dĂ©coulera dâun produit intĂ©grĂ© de ces forces en prĂ©sence.Este artĂculo estudia la respuesta sindical a los cambios transnacionales en las grandes corporaciones multinacionales en la industria automotriz de Europa. Se muestra cĂłmo el uso de los Consejos laborales europeos (European Works Councils â EWCs) en tanto que foro de negociaciĂłn a nivel europeo no contrarresta el esfuerzo de la direcciĂłn por fustigar los sindicatos, por ejemplo enfrentando los trabajadores entre ellos durante las negociaciones locales. Esto parece sugerir que el esfuerzo por establecer una red y coordinar entre representantes laborales y por negociar con la direcciĂłn a travĂ©s los EWCs « activos » resulta inadecuado para controlar la competencia inter â sindical en caso de reestructuraciĂłn transnacional. Por ende, los resultados de la investigaciĂłn ilustran que es necesario un anĂĄlisis del impacto de los acuerdos de nivel europeo en el plano local (la fabrica) a fin de evaluar la eficacia de los EWCs « activos » para forjar vĂnculos transversales supra-nacionales
Work and Employment under the Gig Economy
This paper aims to indicate the key issues yielding to explain why a regulatory framework and correct policy responses are needed for what here we define as a platform 'society' and to identify its key 'collective' features. These include the respect of workers' fundamental rights (i.e. collective bargaining and representation) as well as they include the role of the state and public policy. These reflections are developed in the light of an in-depth examinations of the social implications of the gig-economy for work and employment
Solidarity at Work:Concepts, levels and challenges
Solidarity is not a unified phenomenon with unchanging qualities; it partakes of moral, political and performative elements that are underpinned and reinforced by a shared work context, an organizational infrastructure and an institutional frame which together create distinctive path dependencies in solidarity across different forms of capitalism. Neo-liberalism has challenged these path dependencies by changing the material conditions and the ideological terrain, by heightening the diversity of the workforce, by restructuring the institutional context. However, this is not the end of solidarity and the article addresses the question of what sort of solidarities are now emerging and how.status: publishe
Chapter 8 The Social Foundations of Precarious Work:
The digital PDF of Chapter 8 of this title is available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence. The word âprecarityâ is widely used when discussing work and employment, social conditions and lived experiences, and social classes. There is not, however, a consensus on the precise meaning of the term or how it should best be used to explore social changes. Bringing together an international group of thinkers from a diverse range of fields, this book offers a distinctive and critical perspective approach to an important topic
Transforming care work within an era of changing priorities of care policy:Editorial
This thematic special issue of Transfer titled âTransforming Care Work within an Era of Changing Priorities of Care Policyâ explores how policy, institutional and market-driven transformations of care regimes across Europe impact upon the quality of care services and the quality of care work. In the special issue, we bring together a range of national perspectives on changing models of care delivery and care work that spans Ireland, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the UK, complemented by a transnational analysis of EU healthcare policy. Although each contribution situates the specific challenges of precariousness in a particular institutional and market context, by collating these seven perspectives we see common challenges emerging for care workers in diverse settings including residential, domiciliary and long term care, public and private sectors, Liberal and Coordinated Market Economies, as well as Southern, Northern and Eastern Europe with varied traditions of formal and informal familial care.status: Published onlin
Trade unions and labour market dualisation : a comparison of policies and attitudes towards agency and migrant workers in Germany and Belgium
The article compares the role of tripartism during and after democratic transitions in Spain and Poland. In both countries it emerged after a negotiated transition from dictatorship, but it was poorly institutionalised. While it fell short of âneocorporatistâ levels of governance, it had a âfoundationalâ function in stabilising both political and economic transitions, and despite its limitations, it endured for decades in the frequent, if unregular, practice of negotiating âsocial pactsâ. The comparison reveals some striking similarities despite the contrasting economic systems of origin, and identifies some structural constants in the evolution of post-democratic tripartism, up to the recent crisis
âLean Production is Dead, Long Live Lean Productionâ: Lean, Neo-Liberal Crisis, Turbulence and the Consolidation of Regimes of Subordination
This paper considers the various ways in which Lean originally was understood by advocates and critics. The paper argues that notwithstanding Leanâs impact in respect of material changes to work and labour processes in addition it can be interpreted as an ideological formation and the motor of neoliberal turbulence, at once a driver of the crisis of over production and a response to it. Lean engenders at the level of the political economy the link between a range of management regimes requiring stress to systems, institutions and individuals. Locally, this process was famously described by the labour movement activist-scholars Mike Parker and Jane Slaughter as Management by Stress. We argue that it is critical to the contemporary character of the turbulence driving neoliberal retrenchment-restructuring. While we accept the French labour sociologist Jean-Pierre Durandâs description of the era in which we are living as the time of the Lean society, we offer a somewhat different angle on the nature of Lean that interprets it not simply as a management strategy for renewal but rather as a response to this period of neoliberal turbulence in which it is a central component
Workplace change and institutional experimentation: a case study of service-sector work in Europe
This article examines institutional experimentation by linking the dynamics of capital accumulation, the adoption of new digital technologies within the labour process, and institutional settings. Our inductive qualitative case study within the service (logistics) sector in Europe sheds light on the processes through which local stakeholders engage in workplace change through institutional experimentation. It also illustrates how and under which conditions unions can act as political agents of transformation to influence work and employment
Determinants of union strategies towards the twin digital and green transitions in the German and Belgian automotive industry
This article examines union strategies towards the twin digital and green transitions, comparing the German and Belgian automotive industries. The drive towards net-zero and more digital economies is manifested through the move from fossil fuel-powered cars to electric cars, engendering a reorganisation of production, work and employment among car manufacturers. We identified two strategic union response patterns. While German unions are developing proactive strategies and proposals to influence and shape the ongoing transition of the automotive industry, Belgian unions are more passive, reacting primarily to management proposals and focusing narrowly on employment and working conditions without a broader strategy on how to influence the transformation of the automotive industry. We explain the observed cross-national differences by two factors: the importance of national institutions, i.e., the varying integration of labour into management decision-making, and the role of union knowledge regimes. The latter refers to internal union organisations and structures such as research departments, research institutes and foundations tasked with providing own research and funding external research on change topics from a union perspective, publishing studies and developing programmatic agendas, and disseminating the knowledge to union members through training, workshops and conferences
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