Competitiveness bargaining in France: a study of multiple union action in the automotive industry

Competitiveness agreements in France became a much discussed feature of company-level responses to the 2008 crisis and aftermath. Such innovations raise several issues in a context of multi-unionism, in terms of how different workplace unions of varying organisational cultures respond, but also the consequences for inter-union relations. It is observed that such dynamics are complicated by the representative reforms of 2008 which link local bargaining power to performance in workplace elections. Based on case study analysis of the crisis-ridden automotive industry, this article therefore examines how union responses to competitiveness bargaining are proceeding in light of the revised representative rules

Competitiveness bargaining in France: a study of multiple union action in the automotive industry

Competitiveness agreements in France became a much discussed feature of company-level responses to the 2008 crisis and aftermath. Such innovations raise several issues in a context of multi-unionism, in terms of how different workplace unions of varying organisational cultures respond, but also the consequences for inter-union relations. It is observed that such dynamics are complicated by the representative reforms of 2008 which link local bargaining power to performance in workplace elections. Based on case study analysis of the crisis-ridden automotive industry, this article therefore examines how union responses to competitiveness bargaining are proceeding in light of the revised representative rules

Regulating for mutual gains? Non-union employee representation and the Information and Consultation Directive

Interest in ‘mutual gains’ has principally been confined to studies of the unionised sector. Yet there is no reason why this conceptual dynamic cannot be extended to the non-unionised realm, specifically in relation to non-union employee representation (NER). Although extant research views NER as unfertile terrain for mutual gains, the paper examines whether NER developed in response to the European Directive on Information and Consultation (I&C) of Employees may offer a potentially more fruitful route. The paper examines this possibility by considering three cases of NER established under the I&C Directive in Ireland, assessing the extent to which mutual gains were achieved

Considering the impact of the 'Right to Bargain' Legislation in Ireland: A Review

Ireland is rare among advanced economies in not having statutory trade union recognition legislation for collective bargaining purposes. The matter has been a source of policy contention over the years with attempts to resolve it encapsulated in the so-called �Right to Bargain� legislation, introduced in 2001. This legislation has sought to circumvent statutory recognition in Ireland by putting in place an alternative mechanism for unions to represent members in non-union firms where collective bargaining is not practiced. This review, based on a mixture of empirical and documentary evidence, demonstrates that this legislation was moderately successful for a short period in generating pay rises, improved employment conditions and better access to procedures for union members in non-unionised firms. Indeed, in some respects, it was a superior institutional mechanism to a statutory recognition regim

Occupation as resistance: The case of worker sit-ins in the Irish Republic

Replicating global trends, the Irish Republic has been mired in a deepening fiscal and economic crisis since 2008. At workplace level there has been a steady increase in cash-strapped firms forced to restructure and/or close operations. Consequently, a number of employers have imposed redundancy, often without negotiation, and based on minimum statutory entitlements. In reply, worker mobilization has increased in both a scale and form not seen in the Irish Republic for some decades. Specifically, small numbers of employees have responded through the deployment of direct action with sit-ins and mass occupations of company premises. This paper outlines the context, form and trajectory of worker occupations as a tactical response to organizational restructuring and financial crisis management using a case study of three Irish occupations in 2009. The analysis will examine the antecedent influences and factors surrounding the phenomenon of worker sit-ins as well as points of comparison and difference in respective cases. Finally, examining disputes where sit-ins have been deployed, the paper seeks to evaluate its capacity for securing workers' concerns in countering the threat of redundancypeer-reviewe