| 1. |
- Bechter, Barbara, et al.
(author)
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Opening the black box : Actors and interactions shaping European sectoral social dialogue
- 2021
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In: European journal of industrial relations. - : Sage Publications. - 0959-6801 .- 1461-7129. ; 27:3, s. 269-288
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article highlights the importance of organizational resources and individual capabilities for interactions and relationships among social partners in European sectoral social dialogue committees (SSDCs). We use an actor-centred approach to investigate work programme setting in the hospital and metalworking SSDCs. Our research reveals differences in how European social partner organizations coordinate and integrate members in SSDCs. In hospital, European Union (EU)-social partners build bridges that span otherwise separate actors or groups. The findings suggest that the absence of bridging efforts can lead to the dominance of a few actors. In metalworking, small cohesive groups are more effective in forming close networks and determining work programmes. While work programmes in hospital represent issues which are on national agendas, in metalworking, they focus mainly on EU policy areas.
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| 2. |
- Bergström, Ola, 1968
(author)
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Changing restructuring regimes in eleven European Countries during and after the financial crisis
- 2019
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In: European journal of industrial relations. - : SAGE Publications. - 0959-6801 .- 1461-7129. ; 25:2, s. 95-111
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article draws on longitudinal data to analyse restructuring in 11 EU member states in response to the 2008–2009 financial crisis. It finds that despite the dramatic crisis, restructuring regimes remained rather stable. New policies were adopted and existing policies were reformed, but changes were primarily within the existing regimes, though collectively agreed measures are important. However, in three countries, changes were more radical, indicating a shift in the dominant adjustment and governance mechanisms. These findings have implications for the understanding of how restructuring regimes change and how such changes may be studied, implying that restructuring policies cannot be evaluated in isolation. Any attempt to analyse the impact of restructuring policies on labour market outcomes must take account of the interplay of different policies and how their emphasis and character change over time.
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| 3. |
- De Witte, Hans, et al.
(author)
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Job Insecurity, Union Support and Intentions to Resign Membership : A Psychological Contract Perspective
- 2008
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In: European journal of industrial relations. - : SAGE Publications. - 0959-6801 .- 1461-7129. ; 14:1, s. 85-103
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article uses psychological contract theory to explore the consequences of job insecurity among union members. We hypothesize that the perception of job insecurity will correlate with a lower level of perceived union support and a higher intention to resign union membership. We also test whether the relationship between job insecurity and membership turnover is mediated by (a lack of) perceived union support. In Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands, an association is found between job insecurity and a reduction in perceived union support, and between job insecurity and the intention to resign membership; this association is also fully mediated by (a lack of) perceived union support. None of these hypotheses are corroborated in Sweden. We discuss implications of these findings for future research and for unions in Europe.
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| 4. |
- Edlund, Jonas, 1963-, et al.
(author)
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Protection of mutual interests? : employment protection and skill formation in different Labour Market regimes
- 2008
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In: European journal of industrial relations. - : SAGE Publications. - 0959-6801 .- 1461-7129. ; 14:3, s. 245-264
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The ‘varieties of capitalism’ school argues that firm-specific skills are more common in coordinated than in liberal economies and that appropriate training is facilitated by employment protection legislation. We compare the level of firm-specific skills across 21 countries with different capacities for labour market coordination. The data provide very limited support for the thesis, showing large variation among the coordinated countries. The results indicate ‘varieties of coordination’, which have different implications for the incidence and consequences of firm-specific skill. Improved operationalization of the skill concept seems urgent.
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| 5. |
- Ellem, Bradon, et al.
(author)
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Neoliberal trajectories in mining : Comparing Malmfälten and the Pilbara
- 2020
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In: European journal of industrial relations. - : Sage Publications. - 0959-6801 .- 1461-7129. ; 26:3, s. 297-312
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We compare the iron ore sectors and mining regions of Malmfälten in Sweden and the Pilbara in Australia. Both are physically isolated and the product is economically vital, but we find differences in industrial relations which accord with what would be expected in coordinated and liberal market economies. A closer examination, attentive to history and geography and in which changes in institutional form and function are highlighted, reveals, however, that these differences are more apparent than real, and that there is a common neoliberal trajectory. This analysis also suggests that changes in these sites at times drive transformations in national industrial relations.
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| 6. |
- Furåker, Bengt, 1943, et al.
(author)
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On the road to transnational cooperation? Results from a survey of European trade unions
- 2013
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In: European journal of industrial relations. - : SAGE Publications. - 0959-6801 .- 1461-7129. ; 19:2, s. 161-177
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Economic globalization and political developments within the EU have put pressure upon trade unions to engage in cross-border cooperation. The most realistic step in the foreseeable future is transnational coordination of collective bargaining, but the process is still very much in its infancy. We use a web and postal survey of a large number of European trade unions to illuminate their current practices and their preferences for the future. The most common activity is exchange of information on collective agreements, followed by collaboration in training programmes for union representatives, and such cross-border cooperation primarily involves unions in manufacturing. Support for European collective bargaining is far from overwhelming, and unions are clearly divided on the idea of statutory minimum wages: this has rather strong support in Spain and Germany, but very little in Scandinavia.
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| 7. |
- Furåker, Bengt, 1943, et al.
(author)
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Patterns of Speech Activity at ETUC Executive Committee Meetings, 2005-2012
- 2016
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In: European journal of industrial relations. - : SAGE Publications. - 0959-6801 .- 1461-7129. ; 22:1, s. 57-71
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article analyses the speech activities of trade unions at European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) Executive Committee meetings, 2005–2012. It is based on the minutes of 48 meetings and direct observations of some of them. The most frequent themes are economic issues, communications and labour law, followed by common activities and intra-organizational issues. Analysis by different regime types shows marked differences in the extent and focus of participation; an important factor behind these differences appears to be the unions’ role in their national industrial relations systems. The impact of the economic crisis in Southern Europe is also highly visible. Another aspect is the number of seats the organizations hold, mirroring size as well as financial and human resources. Moreover, speech patterns seem to reflect ideological and cultural differences.
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| 8. |
- Gonas, L
(author)
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Gender segregation and the European Employment Strategy: Levels and divisions
- 2004
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In: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS. - : SAGE Publications. - 0959-6801 .- 1461-7129. ; 10:2, s. 139-159
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Equal opportunities has constituted one of the four pillars of the European Employment Strategy (EES) as approved at the Luxembourg summit in 1997. However, there are tensions between the EES and the imperatives of budgetary restraint (which have caused job losses in public services, where women are disproportionately employed) and between quantitative targets of increasing women’s labour-force participation and qualitative targets of overcoming gender segregation. This article explores these tensions, drawing evidence from comparative European research and the particular experience of Sweden.
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| 9. |
- Greenwood, I, et al.
(author)
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Team-working, Restructuring and Skills in UK and Sweden
- 2007
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In: European journal of industrial relations. - London : Sage. - 0959-6801 .- 1461-7129. ; 13:3, s. 361-377
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- ■ This article investigates the connection between team-working, workplace learning and skills and industrial relations in six manufacturing plants in the Swedish and UK steel and metal sectors. The forms and processes of team-working observed do not conform to a stereotyped dichotomy between Swedish autonomous work organization and more hierarchical UK traditions. Our findings demonstrate the importance of product markets, sectoral effects and management processes, and the role of strategies as well as institutional structures.
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| 10. |
- Grimshaw, Damian, et al.
(author)
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Outsourcing of public services in Europe and segmentation effects : The influence of labour market factors
- 2015
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In: European journal of industrial relations. - : Sage Publications. - 0959-6801 .- 1461-7129. ; 21:4, s. 295-313
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article examines the influence of labour market factors on public authorities’ decisions to outsource public services in five countries. The dominant focus in the outsourcing literature is on a narrow range of factors: public–private gaps in pay, union membership and collective bargaining coverage. We find such differences to be variable, and develop a more encompassing perspective. This includes consideration of labour market rules that establish wage floors and employment protection (especially for outsourced workers) and the possible differentiation of legal status between public and private employees. Our case studies from local government in five countries highlight a set of country-specific interconnections between labour market factors and outsourcing. These lead to variations in both managers’ and unions’ approaches towards outsourcing and in outcomes for pay and working conditions. We call for a strengthening of the inclusiveness of industrial relations structures to combat problems of workforce fragmentation caused by outsourcing.
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