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Challenges in European Employment Relations

Challenges in European Employment Relations Employment Regulation, Trade Union Organization, Equality, Flexicurity

Author: Roger Blanpain; Linda Dickens
Publisher: Kluwer Law International
ISBN: 9789041127716
Published In: September 2008
Format: Paperback , 284 pages
Jurisdiction: Europe ? Disclaimer:
Countri(es) stated herein are used as reference only

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Has European economic and market integration curtailed the autonomy of national industrial relations actors and institutions? Or has it reinforced their roles in securing much-needed economic adjustment? This important book offers a deeply-informed comparative perspective on these questions, drawing on empirical research on changing conditions within and beyond the EU. The book builds on papers presented at the 8th European Regional Congress of the International Industrial Relations Association, held in the UK in September 2007. The authors are leading academic authorities from Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

With detailed attention to such pervasive factors as the consequences of EU enlargement, the shift from manufacturing to services, changes in the gender composition and demographic profile of the labour force, and the growing influence of multinational companies, the authors address such issues as the following:

• response of national employment regulatory traditions to globalization, privatization, outsourcing and budgetary pressures;

• emergence of new forms of competitive advantage for both employers and employees;

• impact of EU-mandated information and consultation mechanisms;

• possibility of international union action and transnational solidarity;

• ‘flexicurity’ and the changing demographics of the labour force;

• gender democracy in trade unions;

• trade union mergers;

• statutory minimum conditions as an alternative to collective bargaining;

• regulation or culture change to promote equality;

• treatment of posted and migrant workers within increasingly transnational labour markets;

• growth in variable pay systems; and

• possible rebirth of vocational training systems and apprenticeships.

Offering in-depth comparative insights into the way in which national and international systems of employment relations are evolving rapidly in the face of cross-cutting pressures for change, this book illuminates a vastly complex state of affairs. In practical terms, its many insights into how current trends affect specific working conditions open the way to new initiatives in developing and maintaining a just and equitable employment relations regime for Europe and beyond.

Features:

Insights drawn from original empirical research into current labour relations in the enlarged EU
Incisive expert analysis of current responses of employment relations systems to such challenges as globalization and privatization
Assessment of potential comparative advantage for both employers and employees resulting from cross-cutting pressures for change

Benefits:

Gain clear insight into current trends, both legal and managerial, affecting trade union organizing, pay, and consultation mechanisms in European employment relations systems
Understand the practical implications of national and EU regulation for employees and trade unions
Develop effective arguments in numerous specific areas of employment law in Europe

1. Challenges of European Employment Relations; L. Dickens.

2. Labour Law and Economic Development: Calibrating and Comparing Regulatory Regimes; J. Armour, S. Deakin, P. Lele, M. Siems.

3. UK Trade Unions and the Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations; M. Hall, S. Hutchinson, J. Parker, J. Purcell, M. Terry.

4. The Role of European Works Councils in the Internationalization of the Labour Movement; V. Pulignano.

5. Flexicurity and HRM for Older Workers in the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Belgium; T. Bredgaard, F. Tros.

6. Strong Trade Unions Meet EEC Workers: Locating, Monitoring and Organizing EEC Workers in the Danish Construction Sector; S.K. Andersen, J.A. Hansen.

7. Gender: A Relevant Element of Management Culture? Equal Opportunities between Diversity Management, Regulation and ‘Good Will’; A. Scheele.

8. Union Mergers and Gender Democracy; A. McBride, J. Waddington.

9. Leadership for Change: Making Gender Equality in the Newly Merged Danish Union 3F; L.L. Hansen.

10. How Far Can a Minimum Wage Compensate for the Decline in Collective Bargaining? The Challenges Facing Germany and Britain; A. Skarpelis, W. Brown.

11. The Management of Variable Pay in Banking: Forms and Rationale in Four European Countries; J. Arrowsmith, H. Nicolaisen, B. Bechter, R. Nonell.

12. Vocational Training and its Links with Education and the Labour Market in Five Countries; G. Bosch, J. Charest.