Large-Scale Privatization and Industrial Relations

Abstract

The problem of social tensions and of establishing new industrial relations was investigated within the project Large-Scale Privatization: Social Conflict and Consensus, which is based on semi-structured interviews with 265 workers, trade union functionaries and managers in 44 Czech industrial enterprises selected according to the conflict potential arising at the outset of their restructuring. In the necessary transition to lean production often more than one half of the employees were forced to leave. As many of them changed their employer spontaneously or found jobs elsewhere, there were, surprisingly, no societally dangerous conflicts connected with this hitherto foreign process. Problems arose through conflicts within the management and among the staff of the newly decentralized company units. In addition, the redundancy of their administration, re- evoked the hostility between blue and white collar workers. Typical cases of disappointment from the negotiation and cooperation with foreign partners can also be found. The position of trade unions (hereafter TUs) is a result of the general tendency to question their role. In connection with their newly restricted competencies to influence the position of employees. The management is for the most part not used or able to negotiate with them. Usually, however, it does not assert or implement extreme decisions; the TUs themselves are not very radical either. Besides the conflictual relations between the two bodies, many situations can be found where confrontation is replaced with cooperation which does, however, retain its contradictory character. The absence of strikes can be explained not only by general socio-economical stability, but also by the ability of numerous workers, functionaries and managers to adopt the role of the other. The mutual tolerance limits labour conflicts mostly to a latent form of discontent. Consensus has been very often attained as a result of apathy and resignation to the unsolved problems. Social tensions thus change into fragile peace without any marked prospects for social partnership. With regard to their differences from the traditional systems of interest representation, the newly emerging industrial relations can be hypotheticaly denominated and explained as post-industrial.