Abstract
The ongoing popularity of neo-liberalist ideologies and the impact of state-imposed austerity measures has been having a detrimental impact on the structure of industrial relations within the European Union (EU), especially in the periphery of Europe. This report assesses these developments in the EU member states most affected by the most recent economic crisis, namely Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Spain. We highlight how trade unions in the countries assessed are increasingly constrained in their ability to regulate the conditions of work through collective agreements, which have systematically deteriorated, making it difficult to sustain mobilisation and negotiation strategies. This has had a deleterious effect on pay and working time. Broader austerity measures have also had a substantial impact on areas such as labour inspection, judicial processes and state mediation services, leading to heightened disorganisation of labour relations with negative effects for both workers and management. The impact of neo-liberal and anti-trade union ideas initially inspired by the New Right in the United Kingdom and the United States of America during the 1980s has played a significant role in shaping the ideology behind this shift in EU policy towards ‘weaker states’. We therefore argue that this political heritage of disorganising labour relations carries great risks in social and organisational terms for all actors concerned, especially workers and their representatives. To this end, we develop the critique of deregulation outlined in Ewing et al (2016) and argue that coordinated structures are important for questions of social justice.
Highlights
The University of Manchester’s Law School and Alliance Manchester Business School completed a research project exploring the transformation of joint regulation and labour market policy during the economic crisis and its negative impact across Europe
They reflect the outcomes of neo-liberal national government responses to the economic crisis since 2008, as well as the specific political conditions established by European-level institutions and various supranational institutions
We summarise the key findings of our research and reflect on the changes and continuities within the nations studied, as well as the relevance of these findings for understanding the vulnerability of even the most heavily regulated systems of collective bargaining in Europe
Summary
The University of Manchester’s Law School and Alliance Manchester Business School (both parts of the Faculty of Humanities) completed a research project exploring the transformation of joint regulation and labour market policy during the economic crisis and its negative impact across Europe. There are ongoing ‘reforms’ to the coverage, content and implementation of collective bargaining in countries such as Greece, Portugal and Spain, for example, which have seen a systematic deterioration of working conditions and labour standards They reflect the outcomes of neo-liberal national government responses to the economic crisis since 2008, as well as the specific political conditions established by European-level institutions (most notably, the European Commission and the European Central Bank) and various supranational institutions (such as the International Monetary Fund). The social impact of neo-liberal ‘reforms’ will be discussed in terms of the increasing divisions and inequities in the workforce, such as differences in pay and working conditions between existing and new employees; along gender and age lines; and between those in permanent contracts and those in atypical employment In some countries, such as Greece and Romania, the measures led to unintended negative outcomes, such as the growth of the grey market and undeclared payments that reduce the state’s revenue from taxes and social security contributions. This section outlines how employers and human resource managers are concerned with the ability of organisations and local management to cope with greater decentralisation and fragmentation within work and employment
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