Workplace Industrial Relations And The Global Challenge

As more and more corporations operate around the globe, the development of an international perspective on industrial relations becomes increasingly urgent. Toward that end, the contributors to Workplace Industrial Relations and the Global Challenge examine the workplace itself. On the basis of ethnographic case studies and comparative data, they conclude that global economic forces and transnational corporations are, indeed, driving industrial relations initiatives. However, national and workplace cultures, as well as state policies, still strongly affect the ways in which cooperation and conflict are negotiated on the shop floor.

It cannot be denied that in recent decades, for many if not most people, work has become unstable and insecure, with serious risk and few benefits for workers. As this reality spills over into political and social life, it is crucial to interrogate the transformations affecting employment relations, shape research agendas, and influence the policies of national and international institutions. This single volume brings together thirty-nine scholars (both academics and experienced industrial relations actors) in the fields of employment relations and labour law in a forthright discussion of new approaches, theories, and methods aimed at ameliorating the world of work. Focusing on why and how work is changing, how collective actors deal with it, and the future of work from different disciplinary angles and at an international level, the contributors describe and analyse such issues and topics as the following: new forms of social protection and representation; differences in the power relations of workers and political dynamics; balancing protection of workers’ dignity and promotion of productivity; intersection of information technology and workplace regulation; how the gig economy undermines legal protections; role of professional and trade associations; workplace conflict management; lay judges in labour courts; undeclared work in the informal sector of the labour market; work incapacity and disability; (in)coherence of the work-related case law of the European Court of Justice; and business restructurings. Derived from a major conference held in Leuven in September 2018, the book offers an in-depth understanding of the changing world of work, its main transformations, and the challenges posed to classical employment relations theories and methods as well as to labour law. With its wide range of insights, analysis, and reflection, this unique contribution to the study of industrial relations offers an authoritative reference guide to scholars, policymakers, trade unions and business associations, human resources professionals, and practitioners who need to deal with the future of work challenges.

Industrial relations, which in the past have focused almost entirely on union-management relations, have recently been expanded to include such new areas of interest as manpower and poverty problems. At the University of Toronto a new Centre for Industrial Relations has been established, a research-oriented institution whose primary objective is to further scholarly investigations into all phases of industrial relations. To launch the new Centre a conference was held with distinguished Canadian and international authorities invited to discuss the challenges and responses for Industrial Relations in the next decade, from various points of view. This volume, based on the papers presented, will be a welcome contribution to knowledge in this challenging field. In Part I, "An International Perspective," David A. Morse considers the conference's general theme in terms of its world-wide ramifications. Part II, "Collective Bargaining in an Age of Change," is devoted mainly to a discussion of the impact of industrial change on collective-bargaining institutions and practices. James R. Bright begins with a reminder that there are two schools of thought about the effect of automation upon such variables as skill and wage differentials. Then Frederick Harbison and Arnold R. Weber assess the recent record of collective bargaining: Professor Harbison provides a wide-ranging analysis of the performance of the American collective-bargaining system to date, and Professor Weber describes the effect of technological change upon the respective power of union and management, upon negotiating procedures, and upon the substantive results of collective bargaining. Harry W. Arthurs explores the role of law in coping with change, especially the technological variety. The third part of the volume, "On the Frontier of Industrial Relations," considers two of the many new industrial relations problems: Wilbert E. Moore, discussing the individual in an organizational society, asks for a reconsideration of the roles of institutional responses to the challenges posed by industrialization. Finally, there are two discussions devoted to one of the most pressing economic and social problems: poverty. The Honourable Maurice Sauvé, who, as Canada's Minister of Forestry, is in charge of the Agriculture Rehabilitation and Development Act, discusses the earnest response of governments to the challenge of poverty; Tom Cosgrove, discussing the United States "war on poverty," reviews the dimensions of the challenge posed by poverty in the United States and outlines the federal legislative response to date. These provocative contributions should be received with great interest by representatives of labour, management, and government, as well as by those members of the public who are concerned with the problems of a growing industrial society.

Established as the standard reference for a worldwide readership of students, scholars and practitioners in international agencies, governments, companies and unions, this text offers a systematic overview of international employment relations. Chapters cover the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Italy, France, Germany, Denmark, Japan, South Korea, China, India and South Africa. Experts examine the context of employment relations in each country: economic, historical, legal, social and political. They consider the roles of the major players and outline the various processes of employment relations, including collective bargaining and arbitration, consultation and employee involvement. The seventh edition has been thoroughly updated with new examples and discussion questions to engage students and encourage critical thinking. A revamped set of online resources includes PowerPoint slides for lecturers to use in their teaching, as well as useful web links to enhance learning.

This incisive comprehensive volume addresses global issues and trends in the industrial relations field by examining five key subject areas: the role of the state, trade unionism, human resource management, labor market policies and practices, and the role of industrial relations in political transformation. Apart from a survey overview, the comparison and contrast of so many disparate policies and systems offers a uniquely crystallized vision of this subject in a broad, international scope.

Breaking new ground and drawing on contributions from the leading academics in the field, this volume in the Global HRM Series specifically focuses on industrial relations.

Bruce Kaufman provides a detailed exploration of the historical development of the field of industrial relations. He identifies two distinct schools of thought evident since the field's origins in the 1920s, one centered in the study of personnel management and the other in the study of institutional labor economics. The two schools advocate contrasting approaches to the resolution of labor problems. Kaufman traces their development from a golden age in the 1950s through a period of gradual decline that accelerated in the 1980s. He contends that, in the process, the field narrowed from a broad-based consideration of the employment relationship to a more limited focus on collective bargaining.

Challenges Facing the Employment Relationship in Future Organizations addresses the issues of change within employee relationships resulting from the impact of factors such as: * international competitive pressures * technological change * changing individual expectations and behaviours The new employment contract is analysed from inside and outside organizations and the issues are addressed from both a human resource management and work psychology perspective. This book: * Reviews the phenomenon of globalization, outlining the current impacts on the employment relationship and summarizing the assumed impacts on future work * Looks at the employment relationship from a labour market perspective and reviews the evidence on an increasing individualization of the employment relationship * Reviews work by psychologists on the changing psychological contract * Provides an overview of new forms of work organization, drawing attention to research on virtual organization and implications of e-enablement * Outlines the challenges to the employment relation on a global scale