INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS JOURNAL最新文献

Union density has fallen dramatically in many western European countries over recent decades, with grave implications for unions' strength and legitimacy regarding collective bargaining. Free-riding remains an ongoing challenge in maintaining union membership levels, as covered nonunion workers generally receive the same collectively bargained terms as union members. To help resolve this problem, we propose a union default that would, as a legal requirement, automatically enrol all workers under coverage as union members in the first instance, but with a subsequent right to opt-out. We use survey evidence from New Zealand to suggest that nearly half these nonunion workers working for unionised employers would retain membership if defaulted. A default would be effective at converting nonunion workers into union members partly because it would shift the norms of the workplace from nonunion to union, as per social custom theory.

The article focuses on the factors that explain the emergence and accomplishments of the ‘FairTube’ campaign, which was initiated in 2019 by the YouTubers Union and the German metalworkers' union IG Metall, and was later established as a formalised German association (“Verein”). While the initial focus of the campaign was on changing the monetisation rules, which YouTube had altered very abruptly in 2017, the initiative subsequently focused on improving the working conditions of content creators. Methodologically, we deploy a mixed-methods design that flanks media discourse network analysis through qualitative content analysis of expert interviews, which helps to identify the interaction between these established and new actors in the governance and interest representation in the digital platform economy. Our findings reveal a ‘hybrid form of governance’ that, by aligning ideologies and combining sources of power, was able to accomplish most of the goals set out by the campaign (avoiding arbitrary platform decisions, increasing transparency and communication, securing creators' income). We conclude that new forms of collective action, i.e. the coalition between “old” and “new” organizations, may mitigate particular negative consequences of the platform economy. The study seeks to contribute to a better understanding of platform work and to the concepts of power, ideas, and interests in industrial relations.

This paper analyses new forms of strike data published as a result of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act. An unintended consequence of the Act is that we now have quantifiable data at the micro level, which has previously been unavailable, that helps us understand the various mechanisms at play in individual strikes. We analyse two disputes from the 2022-2023 strike wave in detail (in NHS England and on the UK's rail system), and provide the first academic analysis of these new forms of strike data. The aim of the paper is to examine what these new forms of data can tell us about strikes using examples of two disputes. While the paper is not designed to be an in-depth study of the strikes themselves, the use of these novel forms of data enable new insights into membership participation in strikes, and builds upon long-standing analyses of the relative power resources of unions.

Existing Industrial Relations (IR) research suggests that Private Equity (PE) takeovers may have profound effects on the target firm's industrial relations policies and practices, most notably in terms of security of tenure and relative proclivity to engage in redundancies. This study supplements the literature by exploring the effects of PE takeovers on other firms in the same industry. We find that PE takeovers increase the sensitivity of target firms to wage costs; when there is an upward pressure on wages, they respond by shedding jobs to a greater extent than their non-acquired same-sector competitors. However, workers in non-acquired firms were less likely to move to a firm that had been acquired by PE, even if pay was more than sectoral rates. Even if there is a strong emphasis on restraining wage costs in the target firm, PE takeovers do not necessarily lead to the degradation of employment practices elsewhere in the sector; rather, they may provide competitors opportunities to entice talented and skilled employees from the target firm.

Repeated short-term sickness absence has been linked to poor psychosocial work environment. However, the handling of short-term sickness absence is often driven by a formal monitoring of employees' absence records rather than by a focus on enhancing well-being at work. In this paper, based on interview data, we found that repeated short-term sickness absence was primarily addressed as an individual employee issue, with limited focus on prevention through improvements in the work environment such as fostering trust between employees' and managers and promoting overall well-being at work.

Trade unions can shape employees' positive perceptions of digital technology introduction, and thus help achieve desirable outcomes. Our understanding of why and how remains limited. This article develops the argument that employees' trust in senior management's digital competency is a central issue, and a power-sharing trade union can play an important role in mediating that relationship. We propose that workplace trade-union power enables workers to ‘trust’ the process when they know the union can collectively bargain with senior management. This reduces digitalisation-induced job insecurity, thereby engendering an engaged workforce to remain in post. This leads to our hypothesis that trade-union voice has both a stronger direct and indirect effect in reducing employees' intention to exit than direct voice (direct communication with senior leaders). Our sequential mediating model supports the hypotheses on both direct and indirect pathways using 520 valid responses to a staff survey during digitalisation from a major UK public service organisation.

This study argues that sectoral bargaining offers a flexible alternative to legal regulation in setting terms and conditions of employment, encourages participation and involvement, brings benefits to employers and improves productivity and performance. It also provides a platform for sector and cross-sector social dialogue leading to improved policymaking and better macroeconomic outcomes. A statutory framework based on Wages Council-type arrangements and Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service Codes of Practice is recommended for the United Kingdom, with sectors in the ‘foundational economy’ being prioritised. Sector agreements need to be about much more than pay, though, if they are to realise their potential.

This article analyses the strategic construction of a factory management regime as an instrument of local value extraction, set against an intensely competitive global value chain in the apparel sector. The article focuses on Bangladesh where, as elsewhere, work in ready-made garment factories is characterised by long hours, poor pay, hostility to freedom of association and the suppression of independent collective bargaining. This article presents a long-term study of the ways that managers who preside over such environments are identified, recruited and deployed. In the context of the global value chain in garments, this article shines a light on managerial regimes which squeeze labour and perpetuate inequality as part of extracting value at workplace level, in the context of a broader, internationally dispersed, industrial regime of exploitation.

Canada is widely recognized as a desirable destination for new immigrants and all levels of governments are generally supportive of ambitious immigration targets set to help meet labour demand. Canada's immigration system is based primarily on human capital, selecting the world's most highly skilled newcomers. However, immigrants to Canada have often faced difficulty in attaining labour market outcomes commensurate with their knowledge and experience. In this analysis, we examine the paradox apparent in the Canadian immigration system—the selection criteria attract highly educated and skilled workers, yet many are not able to find employment opportunities that match their abilities—through the lens of the Labour Utilization Framework. Using data from the Canadian Labour Force Survey for the years 2006–2019 inclusive, we explore five different dimensions of skill underutilization or brain waste: involuntary part-time work, minimum wage work, unemployment, over-education (i.e., underemployment), and worker discouragement. Our results suggest that on all dimensions of labour underutilization measured in the study, immigrants are overwhelmingly at a disadvantage relative to their Canadian-born, non-Indigenous counterparts. We discuss the ethical implications of immigrant brain waste for both individuals and society and conclude by suggesting some possible policy responses to improve the utilization of immigrant talent in Canada.