Transformation Of Industrial Relations Research Articles

Deindustrialization and the Real-Estate– Development–Driven Housing Regime. The Case of Romania in Global Context

Abstract The article examines how deindustrialization as economic restructuring and housing regime changes evolved interconnectedly in Romania during the Great Transformation from state socialism to neoliberal capitalism. This article also explores how they acted as conditions for the emergence of a real-estate-development-driven housing regime (REDD-HR) alongside other factors. The analysis is from the perspective of the geographical political economy on the variegated pathways of these phenomena across borders and secondary statistical data collected by two research projects conducted in Romania in the past two years. In the Eastern semiperiphery of global capitalism or a country of the Global Easts with a socialist legacy, after 1990, the state restructured the economy by privatizing industry and public housing. During state socialism, the housing regime supported industrialization-based urbanization, whereas deindustrialization-cumprivatization in emerging capitalism facilitated the appearance of real estate development. On the one hand, the article enriches studies on deindustrialization by highlighting the role of housing in the transformation of industrial relations; on the other hand, the paper revisits housing studies by analyzing deindustrialization as a process with an impact on the changing housing regime. Altogether, deindustrialization-cum-privatization and the changing housing sector are analyzed as prerequisites of the REDD-HR.

What next for unions in Central and Eastern Europe? Invisibility, departure and the transformation of industrial relations

This article examines union revitalization in Central and Eastern Europe, focusing on two countries: Hungary and Latvia. Trade unions have not only had to cope with a declining membership base, but have also had to respond to austerity programmes and government cuts in public sector employment. We argue that the inability of unions to provide a strong voice for alternative policies to the current neoliberal orthodoxy has been driven by a declining membership base, but also by weakened social dialogue mechanisms, limited industrial representation and an ageing membership profile, exacerbated by net outward migration in recent years. However, we find that unions in Latvia and Hungary have responded differently to these issues.

Transformation of Industrial Relations as Industrial Conflicts Management Systems: A Middle-Range Approach

Transformation of Industrial Relations as Industrial Conflicts Management Systems: A Middle-Range Approach

The pressure of wildcat strikes on the transformation of industrial relations in a developing country: The case of the garment and textile industry in Vietnam

Focusing on seven organizations, one from Hong Kong, three South Korea, and three Taiwan, operating in the garment and textile industry, this paper argues that the transformation of the Vietnamese industrial relations system has had very limited impact on the nature and capacity of trade unions. At the workplace level, the ‘race to the bottom’ has led to violations of labor rights. In this context, unofficial worker representatives (UWRs) have emerged and gained significant power to coordinate large scale strikes across firms and inter-provinces. This paper provides a clear profile of UWRs and shows that the bottom-up pressure created by wildcat strikes has influenced labor legislation and improved working conditions. The unofficial representation mechanism in Vietnam presents a unique example where an effective representation mechanism can be achieved without the presence of ‘input legitimacy’. Furthermore, this paper argues that rapid industrialization and social transformation coupled with the increasing structural power of capital have escalated labor conflicts and strikes in Vietnam. It underlines the importance of involving workers and their representatives, be it official or unofficial, in the process of change and transition.

Chinese industrial relations research: In search of a broader analytical framework and representation

The transformation of industrial relations (IR) in China over the last three decades has been (partially) captured by the growing number of scholarly studies in the English language literature. Despite the major contribution of these studies in advancing our understanding of contemporary IR in China and the (changing) roles of traditional institutional actors, significant research gaps remain. This review paper argues that research on Chinese IR needs to include a broader category of IR actors, including more categories of workers than the current focus, to examine the new role of traditional actors and the role of emerging actors in shaping the IR processes and outcomes, even if their role may be episodic and spatially confined. It also argues that Chinese IR research needs to embrace a wider range of disciplinary perspectives, for example cultural perspective and human resource management, to go beyond the radical-pluralist and structuralist approaches that have often been deployed. Equally, it argues that instead of focusing primarily on conflicts as IR issues for research, we should also examine forms of collectivism, sources of bargaining power, and scope for cooperation. Finally, this paper argues for a closer link between Chinese IR research and public policy.

Industrial relations in Namibia since independence

PurposeThe paper seeks to examine the changes and continuities in industrial relations in post‐independence Namibia. In particular, it aims to explore some of the key elements in the process through which the distribution of the costs and rewards of economic and industrial restructuring is institutionalised.Design/methodology/approachThe paper concentrates, through in‐depth interviews with key role players, on how the attempts at sustaining a durable and redistributive trade‐off between economic efficiency and social equality led to a contradictory fusion of neo‐liberal and neo‐corporatist forms of labour market regulation.FindingsThe research reveals that changes in the regulation of the labour market since independence have created opportunities for advancement and participation by groups of more skilled and organised employees, while weaker and less skilled groups have generally experienced a decline in employment conditions and the absence of collective representation. These developments reflect and reproduce patterns of racial and gender discrimination, industrial structure, trade union membership and collective bargaining across the various sectors and occupations.Practical implicationsThe paper shows that a system of low‐skill, low‐wage and low‐trust relations – with an emphasis on cost reduction and employment “flexibility” – is fast becoming embedded in industrial relations in Namibia. Given the prevailing economic policies, industrial strategies and labour market structures, Namibia's integration into the global economy will most likely involve the increasing dislocation and exclusion of vulnerable and “peripheral” workers from the formal economy.Originality/valueThe paper highlights the ways in which the transformation of industrial relations in Namibia is shaped by the legacy of apartheid‐colonialism and the pressures of globalisation. Specifically, the conjunction of increasingly deregulated product markets and increasingly regulated labour markets has driven a wedge between the pursuit of short‐term objectives and the attainment of long‐term transformational goals.

Laboratories of the new Europe: trade unions, employee interest representation and participation in foreign investment enterprises in central and eastern Europe

This article examines a number of aspects of the industrial relations practices of foreign investors in central and eastern Europe, focusing on trade union structures, employee interest representation, and consultation and social dialogue at the company level. Based on evidence from selected companies in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, the paper argues that the experiences of multinational companies with regard to employee interest representation and shop-floor trade unionism should be regarded as ‘laboratories of learning processes' which are not only having an impact on the ongoing transformation of industrial relations and corporate cultures in the new Member States but also on the whole of Europe, most notably the future shape of institutionalised employee participation.

Social Pacts: A Helping Device in Euro Adoption?

The establishment and consolidation of social partnership and the revitalisation of social pacts greatly supported the success of the changeover to the euro in several European countries in the nineties. In Central and Eastern Europe as well, there is agreement among politicians and professionals alike that the creation of a social pact with a firm and comprehensive legitimacy could support the achievement of the Maastricht fiscal reference values enormously, and by doing so, it could establish the ground for long-lasting and sustainable economic growth. However, the continental Western-style neo-corporatist industrial relations system has not sprung into existence in Eastern Europe. Consequently, it is argued here that the launch of a successful and all-encompassing social pact cannot be expected within the current political and social constellations in the region. Through the example of two Central Eastern European countries, namely, the Czech Republic and Hungary, it is demonstrated that there is a general tendency of the spontaneous transformation of industrial relations into a segmented system, which is more similar to the deregulated labour markets of Anglo-Saxon liberal market economies than to the cooperative strategies of continental Europe.

Recent Industrial Relations Developments in China and Viet Nam: The Transformation of Industrial Relations in East Asian Transition Economies

Industrial relations in China and Viet Nam are on the way to divergence. The official industrial relations actors in China have attempted ‘institutional cloning’ of key elements of modern industrial relations such as tripartite consultation and collective bargaining within the political limit imposed by the Party-state. This attempt of preemptive corporatism has so far failed to address the rising tide of various forms of labour disputes while yielding some positive results of gradual strengthening of official trade unions at the workplace. Industrial relations in Viet Nam are characterized by more vibrant associational dynamism at national and provincial levels, which is obvious in the co-existence of cooperation and competition between and within the industrial relations actors. Workers in Viet Nam display greater degree of spontaneous solidarity in the form of well coordinated ‘wildcat strikes’, which are accommodated by the government and the official trade unions at higher level.

3. The Historical Examination on the Transformation of Industrial Relations in USA(Part 1 Issues and Directions in Research of Labor and Management, New Issues in Labor and Management)

3. The Historical Examination on the Transformation of Industrial Relations in USA(Part 1 Issues and Directions in Research of Labor and Management, New Issues in Labor and Management)

Explaining Labor Weakness in Post-Communist Europe: Historical Legacies and Comparative Perspective

With expansion of the European Union (EU), the transformation of industrial relations in Eastern Europe becomes increasingly important. Studies on labor relations in post-communist countries have flourished in recent years, yet these studies have not reached a consensus on what they seek to explain. Is labor in post-communist societies weak or (in some countries) strong? And strong or weak compared to what? To the extent labor is weak, what would explain this weakness? This study demonstrates that labor is indeed a weak social and political actor in post-communist societies, especially when compared to labor in Western Europe. The article examines a number of hypotheses that have been proposed to explain labor’s weakness, concluding that the institutional and ideological legacies of the communist period best explain this overall weakness. Because labor in post-communist societies more resembles American-style flexibility than the European “social model,” the ability to extend the European model to new EU entrants is questioned.

Accounting for change in public sector industrial relations: the erosion of national bargaining in further education in England and Wales

AbstractThe recent transformation of industrial relations in further education in England and Wales is examined, in particular the role of the national ‘Silver Book’ dispute over lecturers’ conditions of service in causing the erosion of national bargaining in the sector. The experience of further education points to the limits of the strategic choice approach as a device for explaining change in public sector industrial relations and to the importance of supplementing it with a perspective that emphasises the role of power.

Labor at ‘Mother Warren’: paternalism, welfarism, and dissent at S. D. Warren 1854–1967

This paper describes the labor history of the S. D. Warren Company, a leading producer of high quality coated and plain publication paper that employed over 3,000 by the mid‐twentieth century at it...

Instrumental Rationality and European Integration: Transfer or Avoidance of Industrial Relations Institutions in Central and Eastern Europe?

This article reviews the early phase of transformation of industrial relations in central and eastern Europe (CEE). It considers how far these countries have been able to consolidate institutions based on western European models and processes: an index of the ability of the European Union to influence institutional development. After summarizing the main features of industrial relations change in CEE, the article examines works councils as an emblematic case of the development of an industrial relations institution. The discussion concludes by outlining the limits of the impact of the EU on the development of industrial relations in CEE.

Social Reconstructions of the World Automobile Industry: Competition, Power and Industrial Flexibility.

List of Tables - Introduction: Competition, Power and Industrial Flexibility: Social Reconstructions of the World Automobile Industry F.C.Deyo - PART 1: ORIGINS AND DIFFUSION OF FLEXIBLE PRODUCTION - The Transformation of Industrial Relations in Postwar Japan S.Levine - Japanese Automotive Transplants and the Transfer of the Japanese Production System R.Florida & M.Kenney - PART 2: DISPERSION TO THE PERIPHERY - Industrial Relations in the Korean Auto Industry: The Implications of Industrial Sector Requirements and Societal Effects for International Competitiveness R.Rodgers - Competition, Flexibility and Industrial Ascent: The Thai Auto Industry F.C.Deyo - PART 3: LABOR'S RESPONSE - Change, But in What Direction?: Divergent Union Responses to Work Restructuring in the Integrated North American Auto Industry P.Kumar & J.Holmes - The Politics of Industrial Restructuring: Transnational Firms' Search for Flexible Production in the Mexican Automobile Industry K.Middlebrook - A Diversity of New Work Organization: Human-Centred, Lean and In-Between L.Turner & P.Auer - PART 4: POLICY ALTERNATIVES AND SOCIAL OUTCOMES - Regulatory Frameworks and Development in the North American Auto Industry S.Herzenberg - Conclusion: Competition, Politics and the Social Construction of Flexible Production Systems F.C.Deyo - Index

Information on Strikes and Union Settlements: Patterns of Coverage in a "Newspaper of Record"

The authors investigate whether the New York Times' coverage of strikes and non-strike wage settlements in large bargaining units changed during the 1980s, a time when a transformation of industrial relations is said to have taken place. Although the total number of New York Times articles on such events declined during the 1980s, the authors find that when occurrence of a strike and strike duration are included in the analysis as controls, the apparent drop in coverage disappears. They speculate that the reduced number of such articles may simply reflect a decreased incidence of strikes. Important variables determining the extent of news coverage were occurrence of a strike, strike duration, number of workers involved, occurrence of federal intervention, key industry status (that is, whether the affected industry was among those industries identified as exceptionally important in the economy), and proximity to New York City.

Flexible Production and the Transformation of Industrial Relations in the Motion Picture and Television Industry

Flexible Production and the Transformation of Industrial Relations in the Motion Picture and Television Industry

Flexible Production and the Transformation of Industrial Relations in the Motion Picture and Television Industry

The authors trace the development of the motion picture and television production industry's three-tier compensation scheme, showing how incremental solutions to unanticipated problems broadly transformed labor relations by changing key institutional relationships. This example, they argue, demonstrates that a fundamental transformation in the union-employer relationship need not originate in high-level strategic planning, and may represent hope for the survival of collective bargaining in other industries.

Trade Union Incorporation: Past, Present and Future — a longitudinal case study of GKN

In the early 1980's in the context of a deep recession a number of commentators talked of major changes which heralded the demise of trade unionism (Brown, 1984), (Massey and Miles, 1984). Towards the mid‐1980's the debate became polarised between those who argued for change (Basset, 1986) versus those stressing continuity (MacInnes, 1987). Towards the end of the 1980's a more sophisticated analysis suggested that there had been both change and continuity (Kelly, 1991), however, the emphasis was largely upon continuity in view of the surveys at that time (Legge, 1988). The issues from the mid‐1980's have become more complex due to terms such as the “New Industrial Relations” (Dunn, 1990; Keenoy, 1991), “Human Resource Management” (Guest, 1987, 1989, 1991; Storey, 1989; Keenoy, 1991), and “Japanization” (IRJ, 1988; Oliver and Wilkinson, 1988) which suggest a transformation of industrial relations.

The Transformation of Industrial Relations in Eastern Germany

The Transformation of Industrial Relations in Eastern Germany