Union Activities Research Articles

Body as machine: Health vulnerability of women garment factory workers in India

Even though garment factory work has attracted women in large numbers in urban and peri-urban settings in low- and -middle income countries including India, there is relatively limited health system research on identifying and addressing the health vulnerability of this workforce. Drawing on data on life histories of women workers (n ​= ​16), semi-structured interviews with others including family members of deceased workers, health professionals, members of the labor union, factory management (n ​= ​15), focus group discussions with women garment workers (n ​= ​04) and observations (n ​= ​04) of workplaces including export as well as domestic factory units and women labor union activities, we discuss how women's talk on ‘health’ traverses through different layers and sites of silences. Women highlighted the narratives around menstruation (‘less’, ‘more’, ‘infrequent’, ‘irregular’ and related reproductive health consequences) as one of the important ways to talk about relationships between their body, work, and health. Predominantly for them, ‘bodily heat’ and ‘torture’ emerged as two important expressions that describe their everyday vulnerability to health. These narratives call for greater research and policy attention to the large women workforce in the garment factories who remain invisible to the health system. More importantly, it points towards the need for incorporating qualitative research methodologies in occupational health and safety discussions to foreground the perspectives and experiences of workers themselves.

Concession Policy in the Crosshairs of Revolutionary Self-Consciousness: Labor and Departmental Conflicts

The New Economic Policy solved a number of economic and production problems for early the Soviet Union. At the same time, it caused a series of conflicts associated with the delays of the reconstruction period, as well as with the disappointment of the more political active part of the population as it undermined the slogans of the socialist revolution as too distantly obtainable a prospect. The article examines the relations of a specific group of foreign concessionaires with local authorities, and the population of the territories handed over to them by the Soviet authorities for the exploitation of natural resources by utilizing a large number of diverse sources. The emphasis of the authors is placed on two types of non-industrial concessions - foresting (in Northern provinces) and agriculture, practices which continued, to some extent, the tradition of German colonization of southern Russian lands. The authors reveal common and different behavioral strategies of the concessionaires in their relations with the workers, and with the trade union activists; as well as in the attitude of the population and the local party and Soviet authorities to them. Without dwelling on the “predatory” forms of exploitation of the conceded natural resources, or the state line of gradually winding down the concession program, the authors consider another reason for the liquidation of concessions - protest by workers as their self-consciousness was awakened by the “return” of elements of Western capitalism by local party functionaries.

The Current Situation And Development Trends Of The Ride-Hailing Industry In Vietnam In The Gig Economy

In recent years, along with the development trend of the Gig economy, app-based ride-hailing in Vietnam has been growing rapidly, especially in large cities. Related service activities such as passenger transportation, delivery of goods, food, payment, etc. have been expanding rapidly due to their convenience and specialization, which help save time and costs. App-based ride-hailing activities are becoming increasingly competitive with the participation of many major companies such as Grab, Gojek, Be, etc. with various policies and support to dominate the market share. The development of app-based ride-hailing is an inevitable trend as it creates a professionalization of the labor market, optimizing time, cost, and convenience for society. However, there are still some issues that need to be researched and improved for sustainable development of this field such as insurance policies, labor union activities, etc. for the participants.

Unions, Strikes, Shaw (Unions, Strikes, Shaw: “The Capitalism of the Proletariat.”)

Unions, Strikes, Shaw (Unions, Strikes, Shaw: “The Capitalism of the Proletariat.”)

The Tidal Wave of New Unions during the Hong Kong Resistance Movement of 2019–20: Toward Social Movement Trade Unionism

During the Anti-extradition Movement in Hong Kong, a wave of new unions surfaced—18 newly registered unions in 2019 and 491 in the first half of 2020. This article examines and analyzes the factors behind this upsurge in new union activism and asks how protesters acquired trade union consciousness. Previously, in the throes of an earlier protest movement in 2014 led by young people who valued individualism, self-activism, spontaneity, and post-materialism, hierarchically structured institutions were distrusted and scorned, including trade unions. Yet half a decade later, during the 2019–20 protest movement, many thousands of participants joined forces to form the new unions. These took the shape of a new type of union known in labor studies as “social movement unionism.” Despite having little experience, the new unions were able to sustain themselves, and some began to engage not only with political activism but also with management-labor issues and worker rights. This article draws on extensive interviewing during 2020–22 with labor activists and trade union organizers from old and new unions.

Curated Decay

Nova Scotians understand economic hardships at both the personal and community levels. This is especially true for the residents of Pictou County. With the eclipse of coal, steel, and heavy manufacturing, successive governments looked to tourism to augment an eroding economic base and to commemorate the working lives of Nova Scotians. This article offers an analysis of the initial decision to construct and maintain the Museum of Industry in a region of the province subjected to sequential phases of deindustrialization. The venture, officially opened to regular attendance in 1995, is the largest facility in the province’s impressive system of 28 regional museums. The creation of the museum, however, was fraught with uncertainty and narrowly avoided financial collapse and plans to disperse the collection of artifacts. The project was subsequently left straddling an uneasy divide between celebrating industrial heritage and tempering controversies of economic and environmental development. Despite Nova Scotia’s proud heritage of worker resistance and union activism, visitors may exit the museum with the ambiguous message that while working lives are often harsh and riven with uncertainty, optimism for the future must prevail. The implication is that the appropriate response is selective anodyne forms of nostalgia, even resignation, but not resentment of the human and environmental costs of deindustrialization.

Affective Commitment Among University Faculty Members in Nepal: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Although organizational commitment has received a substantial research attention, it has not been well examined in the higher education sector; in particular, the university faculty members’ affective commitment has not been extensively investigated yet. Thus, this study investigated an association between affective commitment and predictors: recognition, resources, training and development, perceived union support and pay satisfaction in the context of higher education system of Nepal. Data were collected through a survey from 312 management faculty members of Nepali universities and analyzed by using structural equation modeling. The findings confirmed that resources, training and development, and recognition were positively related, and perceived union support was negatively associated to affective commitment. Contrary to the expectation, pay satisfaction was not significant. The findings of this study also provide a salient reference background for the university management and policy makers to understand the importance of training and development, reward and compensation, resources, and union activities and their relevance for affective organizational commitment and job performance.

PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF FUNCTIONING OF CREDIT UNIONS IN UKRAINE

The article examines the theoretical and practical principles of the functioning of credit unions in Ukraine at the current stage. Scientific and methodical approaches to defining the economic category «credit cooperation» have been analyzed. It was determined that in Ukraine the credit cooperation functions in the form of credit unions. The definition of a credit union as a non-profit organization founded by individuals, trade unions, and their associations on a cooperative basis with the aim of meeting the needs of its members in mutual lending and providing financial services at the expense of the combined monetary contributions of the members of the credit union is generalized. The impact of the credit cooperatives on the development of economic entities at the level of social well-being of the population and the national economy as a whole has been studied. It was established that credit unions belong to high-risk financial institutions, since they operate with citizens’ funds, they occupy a special place among the majority of financial intermediaries operating in the financial services market of Ukraine. It has been proven that the difference of credit unions and at the same time their advantage among the other financial and credit institutions lies in the ability to accumulate cheap monetary resources, use them to develop business needs and increase consumer demand. The influence of the military-political crisis on the work of the non-banking sector of the economy, in particular, on credit cooperation, is determined. The financial indicators of credit unions in Ukraine were analyzed and it was stated that these indicators have been deteriorating since 2018. A retrospective assessment of subjective and objective factors affecting the functioning of credit unions was carried out, and problems and prospects for their development were outlined. A number of problems are listed, the solution of which will allow credit unions in Ukraine to return to an effective direction. It was determined that the introduction of a system of control over the activities of credit unions, the introduction of strict regulations and requirements regarding the adequacy of own capital will contribute to the development of this segment of the financial services market. A method of solving the problems of the operation of credit unions is proposed, which lies in the plane of professional organizations through the centralization of some functions in order to make them cheaper, the creation of accumulative funds for development and education.

Consecration and meritocracy in elite business schools: The case of a Swedish student union.

Sociologists are paying increasing attention to the business and financial elites that control today's global economy; indeed, there's a great need to understand who these elites are, what they do, and what makes them tick, as individuals, and as a class. But we also need to understand how the economic elites aremade in the current social and economic system, and one significant way of doing this, is by examining elite business schools, that is, the institutions that aim to train and prepare people to assume important leadership and decision-making positions in business, finance and related sectors of critical importance to the management of modern capitalism. Based on the notion of consecration, I empirically examine how the student union of Sweden's premier business school, The Stockholm School of Economics, offers its members a learning environment partly separated from the school, and how this semi-independent organization contributes to making undergraduate students socially, morally and esthetically meritorious for elite jobs in primarily management consulting and finance; a process that is largely shaped by corporate actors that participate formally and informally in the student union activities. The paper contributes to the sociological literature on business schools and higher education and elites, both theoretically through the twin notions of meritocracy and consecration, and empirically through its unique focus on student union activities in an elite business school setting.

Disciplining Union Supporters (Intent Not Required)

Management Report for Nonunion OrganizationsVolume 46, Issue 6 p. 4-5 Supervisor's Workshop Disciplining Union Supporters (Intent Not Required) First published: 10 May 2023 https://doi.org/10.1002/mare.30968Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Abstract Most, and hopefully all (at least by the end of this article!), readers of Management Report know that disciplining an employee because of his or her union activity is unlawful. Such intentional discrimination is akin to proscribed activity based on any other protected class, such as race, gender, age, or disability. Simply stated, if you discipline someone because he or she is a union supporter, you are inviting a meritorious unfair labor practice charge. Volume46, Issue6June 2023Pages 4-5 RelatedInformation

Transformation of the principles of remuneration of workers and employees in the Soviet metallurgy during 1922 – 1928 period (based on collective agreements and tariff agreements of the Sickle and Hammer plant)

Solving the tasks of restoring Soviet industry during the NEP years was accompanied by the formation of a new system of labor relations and the search for effective forms of labor stimulation, among which wages were the main one. The main objective of the study was to identify and characterize the key principles of remuneration of workers and employees of the metallurgical industry, their changes and impact on wage differentiation in 1922-1928. On the basis of collective agreements and tariff agreements of the Sickle and Hammer plant, which in the period under review was experimental, new forms of remuneration were worked out. As a result, it was this company that had to demonstrate the effectiveness of the state's salary policy. Collective agreements during the NEP years reflected most aspects of labor activity. The duration of collective agreements gradually increased, they began to regulate a greater number of controversial issues in the field of remuneration. Due to high inflation, the terms and forms of salary payments were standardized. During the NEP period, there was an increase in wage differentiation at the Sickle and Hammer plant, both between different groups of workers and within them. However, this trend was partially offset by the actions of trade unions and the government aimed at equalizing earnings. Wages declined in the period 1923-1928, as workers faced tougher and more systematic requirements for defective products and their payment, with an increase in the production plan. Trends in time-based payment are determined mainly by the difference between tariff rates and minimum wages, which grew during the NEP period for all categories of workers. Bonus payments characterized the highest—paid group of factory workers - high-level employees. Their earnings were formed with the help of bonuses, earnings and the tariff rate, which made it consistently high.

The ecological conversion: an opportunity to overcome the dual crisis of work and employment

The ecological transition may represent both a catastrophe and a great opportunity for employment and work. Accordingly, the idea of a "triple dividend" is sometimes recalled: if properly carried out, the ecological transition could not only make it possible to deal with climate change and threats to biodiversity, but it will also lead to the creation of many useful jobs and make it possible to change the way work is organised. Although associations and unions have these issues in their sights, these remain for the moment insufficiently developed and equipped. In this article, I will first explore the diverse impact of ecological transition processes on employment (1), then move on to explore the actions of trade unions and associations in favour of a just transition (2) and finally discuss how ecological conversion can be an opportunity for new perspectives on changing work to emerge (3). I will particularly focus on the France case which, in turn, can be extended to other contexts. ?

Remembering Herbert Gutman's Work, Culture, and Society Fifty Years On

Remembering Herbert Gutman's <i>Work, Culture, and Society</i> Fifty Years On

Review: Labor’s Outcasts: Migrant Farmworkers and Unions in North America, 1934–1966, by Andrew J. Hazelton

Book Review| May 01 2023 Review: Labor’s Outcasts: Migrant Farmworkers and Unions in North America, 1934–1966, by Andrew J. Hazelton Labor’s Outcasts: Migrant Farmworkers and Unions in North America, 1934–1966. By Andrew J. Hazelton. (Champaign, University of Illinois Press, 2022. 270 pp.) Benjamin C. Montoya Benjamin C. Montoya Schreiner University Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Pacific Historical Review (2023) 92 (2): 303–305. https://doi.org/10.1525/phr.2023.92.2.303 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Benjamin C. Montoya; Review: Labor’s Outcasts: Migrant Farmworkers and Unions in North America, 1934–1966, by Andrew J. Hazelton. Pacific Historical Review 1 May 2023; 92 (2): 303–305. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/phr.2023.92.2.303 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentPacific Historical Review Search In Labor’s Outcasts, Andrew Hazelton argues that American farmworkers laid the foundation for the end of the Bracero Program in 1964. A rich body of scholarship already considers the Bracero Program’s policy origins, institutional frameworks, social undercurrents, and diplomatic history. Labor’s Outcasts strives to contribute to this rich literature by situating labor unions, specifically the National Agricultural Workers Union (NAWU), at the center of the debate over the Bracero Program. Chapter 1 analyzes the roots of the NAWU with the founding of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union (STFU) in 1934. The STFU sought to gain federal protections for unionization of agricultural workers. While the STFU did not last long, it served as a “remarkable vehicle for social protest” between the 1930s and 1940s when the federal government banned labor strikes and the U.S. public had little patience for union activism during wartime (p. 40). Chapter 2 discusses the emergence... You do not currently have access to this content.

To be or not to be Unionized: A Case Study

This study aimed to shed light on how union activities should be conducted based on the views of teachers and administrators, what expectations teachers and administrators have of the union, whether these expectations are related to the core objectives of union activities or are simply intended to address personal issues or fulfill their desires, and reveal the strength or weakness of education workers’ ability to act in an organized manner in Turkey. The research was planned as a holistic single case study using qualitative research methods. The study group consists of 12 participants, and among the purposive sampling methods, criterion sampling and maximum variation sampling methods were used. The interview form used in the study was designed by the researchers as a result of the literature review. The data were analyzed through content analysis. The codes and categories obtained from the interviews on union activities were grouped under four themes; the reasons for being or not being a member of a union, views on unions, positive benefits and negative practices of union activities, and suggestions on union activities. According to the collected data, recommendations have been made, including that unions should unite under a single roof and make a division within themselves at the branch level; they should exert pressure on the formation of a just, merit-based system for appointment and relocation.

From Union Networks to Lula Livre: an Analysis of US – Brazil Trade Union Solidarity Movements in the 21st Century

Abstract The Brazilian and US labor movements are currently confronting common challenges related to changes in the overall structure and profile of the working class, the elimination of traditional sources of financing, and the weakening of allied political forces in the electoral arena. Considering these joint trajectories, the authors will examine recent efforts by US-based and Brazilian labor movement actors to create spaces for strategic collaborations, two-way learning, and mutual solidarity, to support common political goals and efforts towards union renovation. The article analyzes three contemporary cases of US-Brazil union solidarity networks, in order to better understand how transnational union activism influences national-level outcomes. The authors posit that the success of these forms of activism is dependent on objective limits created by external economic and political conditions, yet in some circumstances non-transactional solidarity is capable of producing unexpected positive outcomes for workers and their union organizations.

Russian trade unions’ activity priorities and prospects for the authority rise among university workers

This article is devoted to the analysis of the university trade union activity in the modern context. The authors overview the existing approaches to the analysis of the trade union movement in Russia, give the sociological study data on the demand for various activities of the Samara University trade union, its coverage in the university media and on the trade union website, and also proposals for improving the trade union activities. It is concluded that following activities are the most demanded and favorably evaluated by the university personnel: recreation and health improvement measures for employees and their children, organization of mass participation events, provision of social benefits and financial assistance. At the same time, the respondents question one of the main tasks of the trade union the ability to improve wages and working conditions for the Samara University employees. Based on the results of the study, practical recommendations for the trade union committee were formed, including the most important recommendations: activity increase in wage security and the trade union information work.

Development of Physical Qualities Through Kyrgyz National Games in Primary School

This article is devoted to the development of physical qualities in primary school students through the Kyrgyz national games. Examples of games from historical works are given, where you can see games of a different nature — games on horseback that require great strength, agility, speed, coordination, flexibility, educating courage, friendship, unity of action, mutual assistance and understanding and many other qualities. In addition, this article gives as an example other type of games that educate and develop all those qualities necessary in later life that are of an applied nature. The games are indicated in their original name and with a translation into Russian, preserving the meaning of the game. In addition, explanations are given for these games that develop various qualities, including physical ones. A variety of national outdoor games are offered for younger students included in the curriculum and the use of three-level activity of movements in physical education lessons is considered, which include running, jumping games, games with throwing, hitting, throwing and knocking down objects, winter types of games, competitive martial arts games, etc. The article gives exemplary games that develop speed, agility, endurance, strength and flexibility. They are subsequently used in the following classes and acquire a different look as a former sports type such as “Toguz Korgool”, “Ordo” and the national wrestling “Kurosh” in the future, these outdoor games in students form all the necessary qualities, including physical, and also have an educational role.

New Concept of Employment: Development of Labor Relations in the Digital Age

The role and underlying functionality of labor law are radically changing in the current geopolitical and economic context. Though it gives rise of relations that follow specific rules non-standard forms of employment like outstaffing, gig employment, self-employment, spot employment etc., they may escape any regulation. At the same time, the role of integrative associations at work, transnational corporations is changing. The digitization in labor law is reaching a principally new level. While new methods of business cooperation and social communications will trigger the emergence of new effective forms of employment, the applicable labor law does not adequately follow realities of the day nor takes into account new and various forms of engaging people in specific activities including work. In December of 2022 a meeting on the draft “On Employment” was held at the State Duma. The draft had chapters addressing relations involved in platform work, non-standard forms of employment, etc. However, the draft raised a discussion and was revised, with outstaffing to be regulated under new principles. However, while the draft is not made effective, it can be amended and specified to make the proposed subject even more relevant. Therefore a need to conceptualize new forms of employment and to further improve the relevant legislation is a major area of action today. Moreover, automation at work, while bringing positive developments such as the use of robots able of better performing identical and repetitive tasks, is also fraught with various risks. At that, the increasing use of artificial intelligence is another threat to employment of the population. It is only logical that digitization at work entails non-standard forms of using classical institutions, opening up new possibilities to use social partnership, particularly, in the activities of sectoral unions for regulation of collective labor relations as discussed below in the paper. Author looks at issue of remote work and the nature of approaches to regulation of the underlying relations from a perspective of qualitative changes to regulation of electronic communication between workers and employers as part of remote legal relationships. It is proposed to revise relevant areas of research of mentioned and other relations to address contemporary challenges emerging in the field of labor law in the digital age.

International Legal Mechanisms for the Protection and Promotion of Women’s Rights in Latin America and the Caribbean

At both universal and regional levels, women are identified as a vulnerable category of individuals, as they are at the increased risk of becoming victims of human rights violations. Historical experience points to practices and traditions that have purposely limited women’s rights, resulting in entrenched stereotypes against women. The most acute form of violation of women’s rights is gender-based violence. In 2021, at least 4,473 women in Latin America and the Caribbean were victims of feminicide, 1 an extreme and deadly form of gender-based violence. The purpose of this article is to analyze the Inter-American international legal mechanisms for the protection and promotion of women’s rights. Both universal international legal instruments and regional Inter-American agreements provide mechanisms that enable individuals, whose rights were violated as a result of discrimination or violence, to submit individual communications. In addition, both universal mechanisms and regional Inter-American mechanisms promote the gender agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the implementation of international law in national legislation. The in-depth analysis of Inter-American mechanisms for the protection and promotion of women’s rights reveals both the system’s unique features and its shortcomings. In particular, the two-level system of individual communications submission means that not all cases, which deal with the protection of women’s rights against violence, reach the Inter- American Court of Human Rights. Moreover, the insignificant number of cases of women’s rights violations heard before the Court points to the weak law enforcement practice within the existing Inter-American mechanisms. In addition to the Inter-American regulation within the framework of the OAS, this article examines the activities of integration sub-regional unions, such as Mercosur and the Andean Community. In particular, these integration unions, as well as ECLAC — the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, contribute to gender equality and the empowerment of women within the region.