A reassessment of non-union employee representation in the UK: Developments since the ‘ICE’ age

Abstract. A content analysis has been completed on a text from the UK that has gathered agricultural and climate data from the years AD 220 to 1977 from 100s of sources. The content analysis coded all references to climate and agriculture to ascertain which climate events were recorded and which were not. This study addressed the question: is there bias in human records of climate? This evaluated the continuous record (AD 1654–1977), discontinous record (AD 220–1653), the whole record (AD 220–1977), the Little Climate Optimum (AD 850–1250) and the Little Ice Age (AD 1450–1880). This study shows that there is no significant variation in any of these periods in frequency occurrence of "good" or "bad" climate suggesting humans are not recording long-term changes in climate, but they are recording weather phenomenon as it occurs.

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Non-Union Employee Representation in Australia

Journal of Industrial Relations ◽

10.1177/0022185607074918 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 49 (2) ◽

pp. 187-209 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Raymond Markey

Keyword(s):

Employee Participation ◽

Regulatory Environment ◽

Employment Relations ◽

Non Union ◽

Employee Representation ◽

International Attention ◽

Union Representative ◽

Australian Experience ◽

Works Council

Non-union representative employee participation recently has attracted increasing international attention in employment relations due to the growing representation gap in many countries as union membership declines, and mounting evidence of the benefits of representative employee participation for enterprise flexibility and efficiency. However, relatively little is known about Australian experiments in employee participation, although it is essential to learn from Australian experience in order to develop effective public policy. This case study represents a contribution to this larger project. SMEC is a non-union employee representative body that has adopted a European works council organizational model. The case study evaluates SMEC's effectiveness as a non-union form of representative employee participation. It concludes that the opportunities for the formation of genuinely independent works council style organs of employee participation remain severely constrained by the current Australian regulatory environment, which tends to encourage a union substitution role.

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Non-union employee representation

Handbook of Research on Employee Voice ◽

10.4337/9780857939272.00030 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 342-360 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Tony Dobbins ◽

Tony Dundon

Keyword(s):

Non Union ◽

Employee Representation

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Employee Participation Through Non‐Union Forms of Employee Representation

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199207268.003.0011 ◽

2010 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Bruce E. Kaufman ◽

Daphne G. Taras

Keyword(s):

Employee Participation ◽

Empirical Literature ◽

Main Theme ◽

Historical Evolution ◽

Non Union ◽

Employee Representation ◽

Over Time

The distinctive approach considered in this article is indirect participation through forms of non-union employee representation (NER). NER has been practiced in industry for more than a century, with considerable diversity and variation both across countries and over time. This article defines NER and provides a thumbnail sketch of its historical evolution. It describes the various forms of NER and its alternative functions. The article then synthesizes these diverse forms and functions into four distinct models/strategies of NER (called the ‘four faces’ of NER). Furthermore, it provides a brief overview of theorizing on NER. The article surveys the recent empirical literature on NER, with an emphasis on evidence regarding NER's performance and strengths and weaknesses. It ends with a brief recapitulation of the main theme; that is, that NER exhibits great diversity in form, purpose, and outcome, and that sweeping generalizations are therefore hazardous.

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