Enterprise Unions Research Articles

Enterprise Unions in Japan. By Hirosuke Kawanishi; Translated by Ross E. Mouer. London: Kegan Paul International, 1992. xxvi, 467 pp. $89.50.

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Enterprise Unions in Japan. By Hirosuke Kawanishi; Translated by Ross E. Mouer. London: Kegan Paul International, 1992. xxvi, 467 pp. $89.50.

Enterprise Unions in Japan. By Hirosuke Kawanishi; Translated by Ross E. Mouer. London: Kegan Paul International, 1992. xxvi, 467 pp. $89.50.

Unions and Work Attitudes in the United States and Japan

Examining whether Japanese enterprise unions have a negative effect on employee job attitudes or whether they forge a stronger bond between the worker and the firm, our results indicate that union membership has no effect on Japanese employees' job satisfaction, but that there is some negative impact on company commitment. Much of the union effect on U.S. workers' job attitudes stems from lower job complexity, work autonomy, perceived promotion chances, and quality circle membership.

Enterprise Unions in the United States

Through a case study of a large industrial company (TRW), this paper examines the history and functioning of independent local unions (ILUs). TRW's ILU plant wages were about the same as those at affiliated union plants and higher than those at nonunion plants. The premium explains why TRW and other companies discarded ILUs in favor of a “new” nonunion model. Yet ILUs can remedy some of the defects in that model and thus belong on the policy and research agenda

Japanese Enterprise Unions in Transnational Companies: Prospects for International Co–operation

Japanese Enterprise Unions in Transnational Companies: Prospects for International Co–operation

Transplanting Japanese Labor Relations

This article addresses the issue of exportability of the Japanese model of labor relations consisting of lifetime employment, length-of-service wage and promotion, and enterprise unionism, which together are sometimes called three divine treasures. A quick examination of the model's applicability in Japan itself reveals that it is a myth rather than a reality. A survey of literature on the practices of Japanese-owned companies in Southeast Asia and North America indicates that there is a wide variation of employment practices and that the divine-treasures model is seldom followed in its entirety. Even if there is partial adoption of the model, it is difficult to determine if those seemingly Japanese features are actually imported from Japan or home grown. It is concluded, therefore, that Japanese companies are pragmatists in adapting to local conditions and that globalization of business tends to bring about convergence of different models into one that is most suitable under dynamically changing conditions.

Economic implications of enterprise unionism

Economic implications of enterprise unionism

Understanding Industrial Relations in Modern Japan.

List of Tables - Preface - Introduction: Interpretations of Japanese Industrial Relations - Seniority Wages? - Permanent Employment? - Workers' Careers in the USA - Workers' Careers in Large Japanese Companies - Workers' Careers in Small Japanese Companies - White-Collar Careers in Large Japanese Companies - Enterprise Unionism - A Typology of Labour to Explain Industrial Relations - Index

Employee Work Attitudes and Management Practice in the U.S. and Japan: Evidence from a Large Comparative Survey

This article provides a broad overview of findings from a survey of 106 Japanese and U.S. factories and 8,302 of their employees. Its focus is on how work attitudes and motivation differ between Japanese and U.S. employees and whether management practice and organizational design can account for those differences. The article concludes that practices such as quality circles, the ringi system, centralized authority combined with de facto participation, employee services, seniority compensation, and enterprise unions do, in fact, help to explain the commitment gap that divides the Japanese from the U.S. manufacturing workforce. When these and similar practices appear in U.S. factories, similar positive changes in employee work attitudes result.

Some Thoughts on the Problem of Internal Union Democracy in Japan

The essay shows the importance for internal trade union democracy of the common institutional form of Japanese trade unions, the enterprise union. A description of the institutional framework is followed by an analysis of the effects on the scope of union organization on the introduction of new employment categories. Practices undermining formal democratic rules in the electoral process of trade unions are considered in terms of their consequences for leadership-membership relations. The lack of internal democracy in many of the enterprise unions is shown to be an important reason for organizational splits and the subsequent emergence of minority unions. Where the trade union leadership and the majority of the members do not allow expression of a variety of views on policies and strategy within the enterprise union, the minority cannot but build up its own union.

Changes in Japanese-Style Labor-Management Relations

In discussing the changes in the factors of Japanese-style labor-management relations, let us first clarify the current status of labor unions, and then consider how each of the factors—lifetime employment, seniority, and enterprise unions—will change in the future.

An overview of Japanese occupational health.

This paper provides an overview of Japanese occupational health and evaluates the current situation from three perspectives. Major occupational health hazards are assessed using four sources of data, showing patterns similar to those found in other advanced industrial societies. Institutional structures for occupational health policy are then examined, illustrating strengths and weaknesses of the Japanese legal and administrative systems. Trade union activities are presented, indicating the constraints of enterprise unions, and the tendency for a greater orientation toward compensation than prevention. Significant occupational health problems persist among marginal workers in Japan, including women and various minority groups. The analysis demonstrates a record for occupational health in Japan considerably more mixed than the conventional view.

Industrial Relations and Enterprise Unionism in Singapore

Abstract The Singapore Government's vision for the future of Singapore, inspired by the exemplary economic progress of Japan, led to a remodelling of the city-state's industrial relations. This art...

Economic Restructuring and Company Unionism the Japanese Model

The paper discusses problems of union involvement in the management of industrial restructuring using the example of Japanese enterprise unions. 'Economic restructuring' implies processes of technical and organizational change at firm level as well as shifts in the sectoral structure of the economy. The aim of the paper is to analyse how far Japanese unions participated in these two types of change and to what degree they were able to implement their goals of maintaining the level of employment and wages and of improving the structure of qualifications. Secondly, the effects of industrial restructuring on the organizational identity of unions are discussed. It is shown that, although union participation in industrial restructuring in Japan was largely confined to informal consultation on lower levels of management, the outcome of industrial restructuring did not violate unions' interests in a spectacular way, thus allowing the unions to keep their decisively positive standpoint on technical and organizational innovation. The paper analyses the structural conditions of the labour market in large Japanese firms and of union organization which underlie that positive attitude towards economic restructuring. Considering the aspect of organizational identity the paper points out that in spite of the relatively favourable condition of the Japanese economy, successes of unions in the field of wages and especially working hours' policies were very limited during the last ten years. Notwithstanding a considerable increase in the level of regular employment during the last ten years the organizational density of Japanese unions declined in relative and even in absolute terms. Thus it seems that the cooperative attitude of Japanese unions in industrial restructuring did not help them to escape the same trend of organizational decline and diminishing ideological appeal which is experienced also by many Western European and US unions.

Japan's Wartime Labor Policy: A Search for Method

AbstractsThe industrial Patriotic Movement (Sampō) symbolized the suppression of labor unions in prewar Japan, but it also shaped the development of Japan's postwar system of industrial relations. When first launched by officials of the Home Ministry in 1938, Sampō was intended to be a constructive reform movement for reducing conflict and for maintaining an efficient labor market. With the support of the police and of some labor leaders, Sampō encouraged formation of factory committees with elected worker representatives for negotiating wages and working conditions. The resistance of business leaders led to the assertion of direct bureaucratic control over the movement, and with army interference in civil administration after 1940, Sampō eventually led to the suppression of unions. Nevertheless, the foundations were laid for the spread of enterprise unionism on a national scale in the postwar era even under military rule.

A Comparison of the Labor Market in Japan and the United States

It is now a commonplace to cite lifetime employment, seniority-related wages, and enterprise unions as three essential features of the Japanese labor market. This understanding can be traced to James G. Abegglen's book The Japanese Factory-Aspects of Its Social Organization, published in 1958 and widely accepted by the 1960s. At the time, these characteristics were considered to reflect the backwardness or archaism of Japan; today, they are regarded as the strength of the Japanese economy. Needless to say, this reevaluation was supported by the superior international competitiveness of Japanese businesses in such areas as automobiles and steel and by the resiliency of the Japanese economy as shown by its swift recovery from the oil shocks. However, despite the glamor that surrounded the debate on Japanese-style employment practices, there has never been an effort to test the above-stated interpretation by careful empirical analysis. Thus has a stereotype become what may be a myth.

Employer-Employee Based Quality Circles in Japan: Human Resource Policy Implications for American Firms

This paper traces the development of the quality circle in Japan with reference to such traditions as permanent employment, nenko (seniority-based compensation), enterprise unionism, and management paternalism. Quality circles are examined as tools for motivating employees, reducing labor turnover, effecting employee "career expansion," and allowing employee participation in job redesign.

Japanese Personnel Practices

Personnel practices in Japan follow the general social values unique to Japanese society and thus differ significantly from the typical Australian approach.The major features of Japanese labour relations are Life Long Employment, A Seniority Based Wage & Promotional System and Enterprise Unions, practices certainly not common to most Australian organisations.

Democracy and Economic Growth: the role of the I.L.O.

Throughout the developing world today the accent is upon economic growth. No reasonable man can question this emphasis while inequalities among nations, and inequalities within nations, remain so glaring. Inevitable and healthy as this may be, it raises one fundamental question, Growth for what? Growth for growth's sake? Growth for those astute enough to profit from it? Or growth as an essential concomitant of political stability and social justice for the whole community? There are other searching questions. Is democracy compatible with economic growth? Are human rights and civil liberties, free enterprise and free trade unionism, compatible with growth? Where they conflict, which comes first? or what reasonable compromise can be made?

The Political Roles of Trade-union

In this paper, we examine the political roles of trade-union. Roles can be summarized as follows : general election and social movements. But the problems of trade-union are related to the character of its organization. So, for the first, we describe the developmental process of trade-unionism. The distinctive structural feature of Japanese trade-unionism has been thought to be its “enterprise basis of organization” (Levine). The integration of traditional personnel relations on political and economic condition of post-war society has brought the establishment of the enterprise union. Characteristics of the enterprise union are as follows : (1) its organizational structure is very small (2) it lacks solidarity among working class people and this leads easily to disunity ; and (3) this kind of enterprise union has no controllable relation with the labor market. However, the enterprise union is closely related to the industrial union and national union. And there is a hierarchical system from enterprise union to national union integrating personnel relations. The main roles of political movements in trade-union have been established by national union and enterprise union which have been formed by collective bargaining. And trade-union has built up a strong background for, mainly, the Socialist Party. And there are considerable number of the Diet Members (Nation 30.8% ; Prefecture 20.1% ; City, Town & Village 10.1%) from this union. The Socialist Party sends many representatives to the Diet but it sends few to the local council. We call this phenomenon “reverse pyramid in the Socialist Party.” The reasons for this kind of “reverse pyramid in the Socialist Party” are : (1) there is a hierarchy in the formation of trade-unionism rising from enterprise union to national union and the Socialist Party ; (2) generally, inhabitants in local community have been conservative in sentiment ; and (3) the Socialist Party has not much strength in the local community. Besides, the Socialist Party has little solid community organization for its benefit. The political goal of trade-union is to form a revolutionary background for the working class. And enterprise had kept very similar characteristics to this kind. Today, the political role of the enterprise union is restricted to its function in a general election. And social movement of trade-union has been developed by national union. The political roles of enterprise union is considered to be greatly related to the organizational characteristic of trade-union.