Employment relations over the last 50 years: confrontation, consensus or neglect?

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 658-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Emmott
Keyword(s):  
Trade Union ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Employee Voice ◽  
Employee Relations ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
Employment Relations ◽  
Workplace Issues ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Wide Range

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss significant changes in the concept and practice of employment relations over the last 50 years. It does so from both public policy and management perspectives and highlights the continued failure to align these two perspectives. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on the author’s research as an adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and his previous experience as a civil servant in the Employment Department. A range of published sources are relied on, including quantitative, survey based and qualitative, case-study and other evidence. Findings – The over-riding need to tackle inflation led governments in the 1960s and 1970s to make repeated attempts to build a stronger legal framework around collective bargaining, and to intensifying incomes policies which brought governments into frequent conflict with the trade unions. This was followed by incremental reform of trade union legislation under Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, to which there has subsequently been no serious challenge. The question is posed whether the author is nearing the end of the road for trade union voice in the UK, or whether there is scope for a “new deal” under which trade unions can join with other key stakeholders in making a positive contribution towards economic regeneration. Looking forward, the paper discusses shifts in trade union approaches to industrial action and major challenges for employers, including managing individual conflict and employee voice. Originality/value – The paper suggests that the ambiguity of the term “employee relations” means the author needs to ask what are the specific challenges facing employee relations practitioners today. Employee relations managers are undertaking a wide range of jobs. Their current focus on employee relations reflects a shift from the defensive attitudes that characterised the earlier part of the period to a more positive one. The paper concludes by arguing the case for a national forum bringing together employers, trade unions and other key stakeholders to advise government on workplace issues.

scholarly journals The challenges and future of trade unionism in Algeria: a lost cause?

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amira Chelghoum ◽  
Sachiko Takeda ◽  
Barbara Wilczek ◽  
Fabian Homberg
Keyword(s):  
Trade Union ◽  
Lost Cause ◽  
Employee Relations ◽  
Employment Relations ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Trade Unionism ◽  
Union Leaders ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the realities of Algerian employee relations and the challenges autonomous trade unionists encounter in their activities, which are normally far removed from the eyes of the international community. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted with Algerian autonomous trade union leaders, union members and non-members. The collected data were analysed using a thematic approach. Findings – The interview results brought into relief the challenges of Algerian trade unionism with the following four themes: first, scepticism towards the only government-affiliated trade union in Algeria; second, the relationship between autonomous unions and the government; third, strike actions and intimidation/harassment; and fourth, views of non-trade unionists and the future of Algerian trade unionism. Research limitations/implications – The sensitivity of the topic and widespread fear limited the number of interviewees and the length of interviews. Social implications – This paper provides recent empirical evidence reflecting the contemporary nature of employee relations in Algeria, and its discussions consider the prerequisites for a more effective protection of workers’ rights in Algeria. Originality/value – This study addresses the lack of examination of trade union activities in North Africa and in Algeria in particular. Whereas studies on employment relations in emerging economies have been conducted mainly at the macro level, this study makes important contributions by providing a first micro-level insight into the realities of trade unionism in Algeria through giving voice to those who struggle daily to protect workers’ rights.

Employer-initiated collective bargaining: a case study of the Chinese sweater industry

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyi Wen
Keyword(s):  
Collective Bargaining ◽  
Trade Union ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Gradual Transition ◽  
Employment Relations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Labour Relations ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
The Government

Purpose – Collective bargaining (CB) in China is perceived as inadequate, thanks to the lack of trade union independence and representation. However, CB of the sweater industry in Wenling, one of the world’s largest manufacturing centre, shows another tendency. Using Wenling as the case, the purpose of this paper is to explore whether a new form of CB is emerging in China. Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses a qualitative case study approach, and covers stakeholders, including the government, trade union, sweater association, workers and employers. Findings – In China, trade unions are constrained by corporatism and therefore cannot become the effective agents of CB. However, the increased industrial conflicts could in effect push employers to become the engine of change. This paper finds that employers endeavour to use CB as a tool to stabilise employment relations and neutralise workers resistance. Consequently, a gradual transition in labour relations system is on the way, characterised by “disorderly resistance” to “orderly compliance” in the working class. Research limitations/implications – The case industry may not be sufficient in drawing the details of CB in China, while it provides the trend of change. Originality/value – Conventional wisdom on the Chinese labour relations and CB tends to ignore the employer’s perspective. This paper partially fills in the gap by offering CB and change of employment relations from the aspect of employers.

scholarly journals Organising to beat the Trade Union Act (2016) voting thresholds: a case study of organising and tactics from the University and College Union

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
James Richards ◽  
Vaughan Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Trade Union ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Contribution ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
College Union ◽  
The University ◽  
Further Development

PurposeA retrospective action-research case study of one branch of the University and College Union (UCU) is used to show how threshold requirements of the Act can be systematically beaten.Design/methodology/approachThe paper responds to calls for “best practice” on how trade unions may react to member voting threshold requirements of the Trade Union Act 2016 (the Act). A broader aim is to make a theoretical contribution related to trade union organising and tactics in “get the vote out” (GTVO) industrial action organising campaigns.FindingsFindings are presented as a lead organiser's first-hand account of a successful GTVO campaign contextualised in relation to theories of organising. The findings offer “best practice” for union organisers required to beat the Act's voting thresholds and also contribute to theories surrounding trade union organising tactics.Research limitations/implicationsFurther development and adaptation of the proposed model may be required when applied to larger bargaining units and different organising contexts.Practical implicationsThe findings can inform the organising practices/tactics of trade unions in relation to statutory ballots. The findings also allow Human Resource (HR) practitioners to reflect on their approach to dealing with unions capable of mounting successful GTVO campaigns.Social implicationsThe findings have the potential to collectively empower workers, via their trade unions, to defend and further their interests in a post-financial crisis context and in the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic.Originality/valueThis is the first known empirical account of organising to exceed voting thresholds of the Act, providing practical steps for union organisers in planning for statutory ballots. Further value lies in the paper's use of a novel first-hand account of a GTVO campaign, offering a new and first, theoretical model of organising tactics to beat the Act.

9. Collective labour law

2019 ◽  
pp. 635-703
Author(s):  
Ian Smith ◽  
Aaron Baker ◽  
Owen Warnock
Keyword(s):  
Trade Union ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Legal Status ◽  
European Convention ◽  
Legal Rights ◽  
Employment Relations ◽  
Freedom Of Association ◽  
Labour Law ◽  
Gig Economy ◽  
The Law

This chapter considers the laws that affect trade unions and employment relations at a collective level, with the exception of strikes and other industrial action which are examined in Chapter 10. The chapter begins by considering the legal status of a trade union and the statutory concept of trade union independence. The applicability of trade union law to workers in the gig economy is also considered. The focus then shifts to the ways in which the law seeks to secure freedom of association, by provisions which protect and support union membership and activities including giving protection against discrimination and providing rights to time off for union duties and activities. The chapter then turns to the concept of recognition of unions for collective bargaining, and the legal rights that come with recognition. It also examines the statutory system for securing recognition. The relevance of the European Convention on Human Rights is considered throughout as are the changes made by the Trade Union Act 2016. The law relating to domestic and European works councils is also considered.

French trade union rivalry is likely to intensify

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Movement ◽  
Trade Union ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Prime Minister ◽  
Power Struggle ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Government

Subject French trade unions. Significance French trade unions have found themselves at the centre of a continuing and powerful social movement against the labour reform proposed by the government under President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls. However, the strong opposition is not just driven by the content of the reform but also by the power struggle among trade unions which are now split into 'reformist' and 'non-reformist' camps. Impacts The division between trade unions is likely to lead to a radicalisation of the non-reformist unions with violent strikes continuing. The government will be held responsible for the lock-down, which will weaken Hollande's re-election bid further. The labour reform dispute could relegitimise non-reformist trade unions in the long term, complicating future reform attempts.

The changing nature of collective employment relations

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 645-657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Marginson
Keyword(s):  
Collective Bargaining ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Employment Relations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Past Half Century ◽  
Collective Actors ◽  
Common Interests ◽  
Firm Basis ◽  
Underlying Processes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to survey developments in four aspects of collective employment relations (ER) since the mid-1960s: collective representation and organisation; collective bargaining coverage and structure; the collective bargaining agenda; and joint consultation arrangements. It considers the reasons underlying change. Design/methodology/approach – A range of published sources are drawn on, including quantitative, survey based and qualitative, case-study and other evidence. Findings – The landscape of collective ER has changed markedly over the past half century. Membership of trade unions has fallen from around half of the workforce to one-quarter. Employers who mainly conducted collective bargaining through employers’ associations now negotiate, if at all, on a firm-by-firm basis. Collective bargaining coverage has sharply declined and now only extends to a minority of the private sector workforce. The bargaining agenda has been hollowed out. Joint consultation arrangements too are less widespread than they were around 1980. Originality/value – The paper contends that change has been driven by three underlying processes. “Marketization” of collective ER entailing a shift from an industrial or occupational to an enterprise frame of reference. The rise of “micro-corporatism”, reflecting increased emphasis on the common interests of collective actors within an enterprise frame. Finally, the voluntarism, underpinning Britain’s collective ER became more “asymmetric”, with employers’ preferences increasingly predominant.

The Impact of Unions on Pay Levels in Lower-Skilled Jobs

2001 ◽  
Vol 176 ◽  
pp. 76-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Forth ◽  
Neil Millward
Keyword(s):  
Private Sector ◽  
Minimum Wage ◽  
Trade Union ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Employee Relations ◽  
The Past ◽  
Sphere Of Influence ◽  
The Impact

The decline in trade union influence over the past two decades raises the question of whether pay levels in lower-skilled jobs now lie outside the unions' sphere of influence, as tacitly acknowledged by their acceptance and later endorsement of the principle of the statutory minimum wage. This article examines pay levels among lower-skilled jobs in the private sector in Britain using the Workplace Employee Relations Survey of 1998. It shows that trade unions still had a positive impact upon pay levels in lower-skilled jobs and identifies those forms of unionism associated with the largest premiums. However, the article also shows that the activities of trade unions did little to counteract the forces generating the lowest levels of pay.

Diversity as job quality: toward the inclusion of trade unions in public procurement of social services

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Orly Benjamin
Keyword(s):  
Social Welfare ◽  
Trade Union ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Government Procurement ◽  
Job Quality ◽  
Workplace Diversity ◽  
Organizational Diversity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Effective Path

PurposeWhen union representatives are included in government procurement procedures for contracting-out of social welfare services, organizational diversity is enhanced if the job quality parameter, as reflected in the contract, is improved. Asking how unions are treated in government procurement procedures, this paper discusses an approach to diversity management based on the inclusion of unions.Design/methodology/approachAs part of a broader research project, interviews were conducted with six budget administrators and 16 occupational standards administrators employed by the Israeli ministries of Welfare, Education and Health; and with eight trade union activists. Grounded theory was applied for data analysis, revealing meanings of “trade unions” and “job quality.”FindingsBudgeting administrators manifested diversity resistance by means of only partially supporting trade union demands to enhance job quality. Their power position enabled them to prioritize the profit imperative of service providers; the diverse labor force operating the contracted-out service were consequently denied the ostensible benefits of workplace diversity.Practical implicationsUnionization, and trade union participation in social welfare procurement processes, is a potentially effective path to improving job quality and enhancing workplace diversity. However, more must be done to develop the institutional-level processes that will ensure that this potential is utilized to the full.Social implicationsIncluding trade unions in social welfare procurement processes is a potentially effective path to improving job quality and enhancing workplace diversity. However, specific actions are required to develop the willingness of budgeting administrators to recognize the association between union participation, job quality and the acknowledged benefit of promoting organizational diversity.Originality/valueAn institutional work perspective was used to detail how budgeting administrators involved in public procurement processes resisted diversity by undermining trade union action for job quality. By identifying three social processes deployed to side-track trade union campaigns for improved job quality, this research shows how the power struggle between budgeting administrators and union representatives ultimately undermines workplace diversity.

The evolving path of CSR: toward business and society relationship

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuldeep Singh ◽  
Madhvendra Misra
Keyword(s):  
Business And Society ◽  
Society Business ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Future Direction ◽  
Corporate Social

PurposeThis paper takes a critical look at the meaning of corporate social responsibility (CSR) based on the available literature on the subject matter. As CSR is an evolving concept both in meaning and practice, this study aims to highlight CSR actions of the world's six largest organizations (Google, Twitter, Amazon, Apple, ExxonMobil and Walmart). The purpose of choosing these organizations and their CSR adoption was to examine the business-society relationship and the role of key stakeholders in establishing this association.Design/methodology/approachThis study examined CSR through the case study approach and provides valuable insights by showing that CSR is a connecting link between business and society. Specifically, the authors took a crucial look at various contentious, often ambiguous definitions, theoretical framework, brief historical development, issues and controversies surrounding it, the role of CSR in community development and summing it up with the future direction and managerial implications.FindingsThis study observed that there are some developmental strategies taking place today which are relevant to the issue at stake, such as: contributing to the world economy, corporations donating or engaging in a wide range of philanthropic gestures now than ever and contributing to the beauty of the society by meeting rising community expectations.Originality/valueBy analyzing the worlds' 6 largest companies' CSR initiatives, this study provides valuable insights by showing that CSR is a connecting link between business and society and is based on win-win collaborations between civil society, business, investors and government. These companies' CSR initiatives have been mostly unexplored in past studies.

9. Collective labour law

2019 ◽  
pp. 649-719
Author(s):  
Ian Smith ◽  
Aaron Baker ◽  
Owen Warnock
Keyword(s):  
Trade Union ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Legal Status ◽  
European Convention ◽  
Legal Rights ◽  
Employment Relations ◽  
Freedom Of Association ◽  
Labour Law ◽  
Gig Economy ◽  
The Law

This chapter considers the laws that affect trade unions and employment relations at a collective level, with the exception of strikes and other industrial action, which are examined in Chapter 10. The chapter begins by considering the legal status of a trade union and the statutory concept of trade union independence. The applicability of trade union law to workers in the gig economy is also considered. The focus then shifts to the ways in which the law seeks to secure freedom of association, by provisions which protect and support union membership and activities including giving protection against discrimination and providing rights to time off for union duties and activities. The chapter then turns to the concept of recognition of unions for collective bargaining, and the legal rights that come with recognition. It also examines the statutory system for securing recognition. The relevance of the European Convention on Human Rights is considered throughout, as are the changes made by the Trade Union Act 2016. The law relating to domestic and European works councils is also considered.

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