bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Company or Trade Union: Which Wins Workers' Allegiance? A Study of Commitment in the UK Electronics Industry
Authors: Guest David E. , Dewe Philip
Published: January 2009

A particular dimension of organisational commitment, namely identity of workers with the values and decisions of an organisation was explored with 716 employees in three electronics plants; 46 per cent belonged to trade unions. The study examined the extent, the causes and the consequences of dual allegiance to company and union, single allegiance to one or allegiance to neither. Less than 10 per cent displayed dual allegiance and a majority displayed allegiance to neither organisation. The best predictors of allegiance were perceptions of trade union performance and job satisfaction. Those showing dual allegiance also indicated lowest propensity to leave the company. These results, from a key sector of manufacturing industry, show little evidence of high employee involvement. The most typical response would appear to be: ‘a plague on both your houses’.
Annual Review Article 1990
Authors: Terry Michael
Published: January 2009

This personal annual review examines recent events, particularly in the trade unions but also among employers, in the context of the changed environment of the last decade. It finds that unions have emerged both strengthened and weakened from their experiences, but that they have some reasons for optimism. Employers' policies remain uncertain, mixing change and stability, but perhaps some new patterns towards union recognition are emerging. Neither unions nor employers have been able to match actions to their grander designs. The latest piece of labour legislation — the Employment Act 1990 — has the potential greatly to alter both the particular and the general.
Personnel Management: The End of Orthodoxy?
Authors: Guest David E.
Published: January 2009

Within the broad field of British industrial relations, personnel/human resource management grew significantly as a focus of conceptual and empirical analysis during the 1980s. This paper reviews the central features of this development and considers the prospects and priorities for future research. It argues that human resource management now represents a new orthodoxy within the general subject area, partly replacing the traditional Donovan framework. Research exploring the application of human resource management is reviewed. This reveals that only modest innovation has occurred, often with little evidence of positive outcomes. Seeking an explanation for this limited impact, attention is focused on the nature and effectiveness of personnel management. The reasons why there might be a ‘problem’ of personnel management are considered. Finally, the sustainability of the new orthodoxy is called into question.
The Impact of Trade Unions on the Diffusion of Technology: The Case of NC Machine Tools
Authors: Taymaz Erol
Published: January 2009

This paper reports the results from an econometric analysis of the impact of unionism on the diffusion of technology. It is found that the extent of unionism does not have any significant influence on the diffusion rate of NC machine tools in the US engineering industries in the period of 1979‐83.
Changes in Wage‐setting Arrangements and Trade Union Presence in the 1980s
Authors: Gregg Paul , Yates Anthony
Published: January 2009

In this paper we detail the results of a retrospective survey of changes in trade union and wage‐setting arrangements in the 1980s for a sample of 558 UK companies. Our key findings are as follows. (1) Complete derecognition of unions in a firm was rare even in firms with low trade union density. (2) Partial derecognition in multi‐plant firms was more common. Some 13 per cent of companies with recognized unions in 1984 had had at least partial derecognition by 1990. (3) Large falls in trade union density within a firm have also been rare, though small but observable declines have been commonplace. (4) The coverage of the closed shop has substantially declined, and this decline has been most marked in the last five years. Around one‐quarter of firms with recognized unions in 1990, however, still had closed‐shop arrangement for at least part of their work‐force. (5) There has been no clear decline in the prevalence of multi‐unionism or multiple bargaining units. (6) There has been a significant move away from national/industry‐wide bargaining, towards negotiations at the individual company or more often the establishment level. (7) In the absence of collective bargaining there have been clear moves away from wage‐setting by formal external links, such as wages councils and multi‐employer agreements, and even away from worker consultation towards more managerial discretion. (8) In deciding wage settlements, managers are increasingly influenced by company performance and less by multi‐employer wage settlements.
Privatization, Regulation and Industrial Relations
Authors: Ferner Anthony , Colling Trevor
Published: January 2009

The article examines the consequences of privatization for the industrial relations of former public corporations. Three effects of privatization are explored: the ending of direct political control, the creation of a regulatory framework for the major utilities, and the replacing of a ‘political’ orientation by a ‘shareholder’ orientation in privatized companies. It is argued that each may have significant consequences for management strategies and industrial relations, although these may not be what either protagonists or opponents of privatization have anticipated.
Integration and Dealignment in Public Enterprise Industrial Relations: A Study of British Rail
Authors: Pendleton Andrew
Published: January 2009

This paper considers whether a process of dealignment of workplace organizations from the national union and industrial relations system has occurred in British Rail. As a starting point, it is noted that workplace representatives have traditionally been closely integrated with other actors in the system. Integration has been based on the supply of bargaining resources by the national union and other bargaining institutions. If new management industrial relations policies have cut back the supply of these, it is possible that workplace organizations will dealign themselves from the national union. This hypothesis is considered using data obtained from a survey of train drivers' representatives. It is found that there is no evidence for dealignment and that in a significant minority of cases closer rather than weaker links are being forged.
Juridical Perceptions of the Relevance of Accounting Data in Wage Fixation
Authors: Clarke Frank , Craig Russell
Published: January 2009

Major Australian wage fixation tribunal cases since 1900 have considered the significance and admissibility of accounting data. There is no evident juridical, employer or trade union perception that data drawn from conventionally prepared (historic cost‐based) accounting reports are technically unserviceable for determining either capacity or incapacity to pay money wages. The implied acceptance of the serviceability of published accounting data in countries with a tradition of collective bargaining suggests that considerable damage may have occurred already. Reassessment is long overdue.
Institutional Aspects of Youth Employment and Training Policy: Reply
Authors: Marsden David , Ryan Paul
Published: January 2009

The central issue in dispute is the relative merit of occupational and internal labour markets for youth opportunities, and for skill retention and employee motivation in general. We stress the critical importance of ‘rate for job rules’ in ILMs in regulating youth entry in Western countries, and suggest some reasons consistent with our basic argument why ILMs may avoid these in Japan. ILMs in Europe and the USA have generally produced lower‐quality training and created serious problems for redeployment, without necessarily enhancing efficiency. We suggest that, under YTS, the transfer of government subsidy to trainees was more apparent than real.
Why Quality Circles Failed but Total Quality Management Might Succeed
Authors: Hill Stephen
Published: January 2009

This paper examines how companies have sought to develop employee participation in the quest for business improvement, from the quality circle (QC) fad of the early and middle 1980s to total quality management (TQM) at the end of the decade. Thirteen companies provide evidence of the strategies adopted and support previous findings that circles collapsed as the result of inadequate organizational design which encouraged managerial recalcitrance. Moreover, TQM departs from traditional ‘cycles of control’ and looks likely to institutionalize participation on a permanent basis, and managerial employees as well as office and shop‐floor staff now have more opportunity to participate in decisions. TQM is not another passing fashion, because it can meet the interests of employees while providing top management with an effective way of organizing in the new times.
Labour Intensification, Work Injuries and the Measurement of Percentage Utilization of Labour (PUL)
Authors: Nichols Theo
Published: January 2009

Labour intensification has often been assumed to be related to industrial safety, but surprisingly different views of this relationship have been held and systematic enquiry is lacking. A measure called the percentage utilization of labour (PUL) claims to monitor the intensity of labour in British manufacturing and therefore potentially affords the opportunity for a much more systematic investigation into the effects of labour intensity on industrial safety than has ever been possible before. This paper introduces the PUL measure and indicates why it might be thought particularly likely to register an increase in the 1980s. It then examines variation in PUL and in industrial injury rates in British manufacturing, both in the early part of the 1980s and over a longer period, in order to assess whether changes in PUL have tended to be associated with changes in safety. No consistent relationship is found. The evidence presented is reviewed, and the relationship between industrial injury rates, intensification of labour and the adequacy of the PUL measure for safety research is reconsidered.
Changes in Union Status, Increased Competition and Wage Growth in the 1980s
Authors: Gregg Paul , Machin Stephen
Published: January 2009

This paper reports that unionized firms experienced lower average wage growth than their non‐union counterparts between 1984 and 1988. We attempt to evaluate the relative importance of two possible explanatory factors, the union‐related legislation of the 1980s, and increases in product market competition. While recognizing that these factors are intertwined, the results suggest the latter is of primary importance.
Convergence in International Unionism, etc. The Case of Canada and the USA
Authors: Troy Leo
Published: January 2009

Industrial relations systems differ across countries, yet their outputs converge. Canada and the USA are a striking example. Over the past two decades, private and public membership and density, employer opposition, and bargaining have converged. These findings contradict the conventional wisdom and invalidate the recommendation that the USA emulate Canadian policy.
Union Influence on Local Union Leaders' Perceptions of Job Insecurity: An Empirical Test
Authors: Johnson Nancy Brown , Bobko Philip , Hartenian Linda S.
Published: January 2009

Although recent studies have demonstrated that union workers value job security, little research exists about what causes these perceptions and how unions might affect them. In this study, a job insecurity measure is developed and analysed using a sample of union members. The results indicate that the relationships between union variables and individual perceptions of insecurity depend on the organizational level at which threats occur (e.g. arbitrary supervision or organizational decline). Furthermore, for higher source‐level threats, union members are often sensitive to the wage‐employment trade‐off in that, if they perceive their union to effectively raise wages, they have higher levels of job insecurity. However, work rules do not appear to have much effect on reducing job insecurity perceptions.
Annual Review Article 1991
Authors: Beaumont P. B.
Published: January 2009

This paper reviews a number of themes or subject areas in British industrial relations which attained a particular level of prominence in 1991. The leading themes covered are wage determination in the context of recession, public‐sector industrial relations, union recognition and derecognition developments, training, HRM competitive strategy and international joint ventures. Among the personal observations and comments made are that derecognition is far from being the most important indicator of management opposition to unions, that some criticisms of HRM are rather misplaced, and that the growth of international joint ventures warrants more attention from industrial relations researchers.
Why Should Human Resource Managers Pay High Wages?
Authors: Ulman Lloyd
Published: January 2009

This essay is about human resource management, internal labour markets and assorted theories of wage behaviour. A stereotype of managerial activities and policies is sketched out in the first section, which, although reflecting a parochial (US) orientation, is intended to approximate a set of real‐world conditions to which analyses of labour market behaviour should presumably relate. In the second section we consider ‘institutionalist’ interpretations, which either supplement or challenge standard market analysis by appeal to the historical record, the behavioural sciences or even the consensus of expert behaviour. In particular, the importance of ‘conventional’ forces, based heavily on perceptions of equity, interpersonal preferences and custom and practice, is revealed by the scholarship and insights of Henry Phelps Brown. Next (Section 3) are assessed the claims and contributions of a sample of theories based on the assumption of individualistic utility maximization in competitive markets: the theories of equalizing wage differentials, human capital, deferred compensation, transaction costs, implicit contracts and (least conventional) efficiency wages. None is found to be lacking in interpretive value or relevance to one or more attributes of the stereotype, and all help to relate it to a wider family of markets and to economic behaviour. In general, however, this group is less satisfactory in explaining why wages should be high enough ‐ in a present‐value sense and relative to market‐clearing levels ‐ to contribute to the relative insulation of internal labour markets and to restrict employment. An exception is provided by efficiency wage theory, in particular by one of its older variants, which, because it is based on group (rather than individualistic) psychology and behaviour, is discussed in Section 4.
From Bermondsey to Canary Wharf: The Social Context of Change in Industrial Relations, 1880–2000
Authors: Bosanquet Nick
Published: January 2009

This paper presents evidence on some of the key variables that have determined the economic status of different groups in the working population. Economic status is set by the level and security of real income and consumption. These are themselves determined by access to resources in the areas of the labour market, public services and social security, and in housing. The paper reviews the period between 1880 and 1990, and puts forward the likely situation in the year 2000. The century began with an agenda set by the problems of falling real incomes and poverty. It is likely to end with the problems of economic and demographic ageing as the main focus.
Economists and Data
Authors: O'Brien D. P.
Published: January 2009

This paper is concerned with one central question: the choice between theories, and the role played by data in that choice. It deals with the uses economists may make of data and the importance of understanding the institutional basis that gives rise to the data ‐ an area in which labour economists have traditionally been particularly strong ‐ and with the relevance of assumptions. It deals with the ultimate need to choose between competing theories (despite the role of conventionalism) on the basis of data rather than retreating into a comfortable ‘methodological pluralism’. It considers the role of test replication, with reference to the practice in natural science (and its role there in checking scientific fraud) and concludes that, despite extensive technical problems of testing, economists have to accept a data check if the rhetoric of mathematical technicality is not to overwhelm the need to explain. Parallels are drawn with experience in physics (and the implications of the development of Chaos and Catastrophe for a naively predictionist view are noted), medicine and history (of which, it is argued, modern economists are far too neglectful).
Industrial Conflict: Themes and Issues in Recent Research
Authors: Edwards P. K.
Published: January 2009

Industrial conflict went out of fashion as an explicit research focus during the 1980s. Yet a review of the relevant literature suggests its continued importance. The review embraces: studies of collective protest at the level of the world economy and nation‐states; recent economists' theories of negotiations; assessments of the impact of Thatcherism on the level and nature of conflict in Britain; case studies of the place of conflict in new forms of workplace regulation; and analyses of the processes of strike organization. Conflict remained a central element of work organizations, though its form changed. The need to consider its place in emerging systems of labour control is as great as ever.
Use of Joint Consultation Committees by Large Japanese Firms
Authors: Morishima Motohiro
Published: January 2009

In Japanese union‐employer relations, managers of large firms often make use of the Joint Consultation Committee (JCC) system in order to avoid disputes with labour. This study first describes two such uses of the system, namely information‐sharing and pre‐Shunto (Spring Offensive) wage discussions. It then examines several economic, institutional and operational correlates of these uses. The results indicate that information‐sharing is a function of firms' operational structure, whereas the likelihood of pre‐Shunto wage discussions responds to short‐term changes in firms' economic performances as well as to institutional and operational factors.
Redundancy and Early Retirement: The Interaction of Public and Private Policy in Britain, Germany and the USA
Authors: Casey Bernard
Published: January 2009

Labour force reductions have been a major issue in industrial relations in Western countries since the mid‐1970s. Early retirement has enabled employers to structure these reductions better to suit their interests, and to reduce the damage to industrial peace which would otherwise occur. This paper looks at the role and nature of early retirement in cases of redundancy in three countries with different industrial relations and social insurance systems. Attention is given to how compensatory policies undermine protective policies; how the costs of early retirement are shared between the state and enterprises; the adequacy of early retirement benefits and their impact upon post‐retirement income; and whether the state can be said to encourage early retirement.
The Social Charter: Whatever Next?
Authors: Addison John T. , Siebert W. Stanley
Published: January 2009

This paper traces the development of the Social Charter since its adoption in December 1989. We examine and evaluate the more important policy instruments. It is shown that the mandatory and often ambitious ‘minimum standards’ set by the Commission are difficult to justify in efficiency terms by reference to market failure. Furthermore, the imposition of uniformity on states that are diverse in their patterns of regulation will retard competition between social systems. It is also likely that the countervailing moves taken by firms in reaction to the imposition of arbitrary standards will frustrate the redistributive aims of the policy.
Low Pay and Wage Regulation in the European Community
Authors: Bazen Stephen , Benhayoun Gilbert
Published: January 2009

The prospect of direct intervention in the process of wage determination as envisaged in the Social Charter has met with considerable criticism. In particular, employers' organizations and certain governments have rejected outright the proposal to require firms to pay an equitable wage. However, in all member‐states except the UK and Ireland, arrangements exist to ensure that nearly all workers are covered by minimum wage protection (through national minimum wages or full‐coverage collective agreements). In this article the nature of low‐paid employment in member‐states is examined and different methods of wage regulation are described. After reviewing the economic effects of wage regulation, we discuss possible initiatives on wage regulation at the Community level.
The Disappearing Relationship Between Directors' Pay and Corporate Performance
Authors: Gregg Paul , Machin Stephen , Szymanski Stefan
Published: January 2009

In this paper we investigate the relationship between the remuneration of the highest paid director and the economic performance of approximately 300 large UK companies over the 1980s and early 1990s. The rate of growth of directors' remuneration was very high over this time period (about 20 per cent per year on average) and very weakly linked to corporate performance. Any such link breaks down after 1988, when the very high pay awards received by top directors in the recessionary period up to 1991 appear to be unrelated to the performance of their companies, whether corporate performance is measured using stock market data or using accounting data on earnings per share. Rather, it appears that corporate growth is an important determinant of the change in directors' remuneration. These results strongly call into question the effectiveness of current systems of pay determination for top company directors.
Preparing for Privatization: Corporate Strategy and Industrial Relations in New Zealand's State‐owned Enterprises
Authors: Walsh Pat , Wetzel Kurt
Published: January 2009

This paper examines the impact of the ‘political contingency’ upon management strategy in New Zealand's newly established public enterprises. It is argued that an unambiguous state strategy of readying the organizations swiftly for privatization gave management a clear mandate for radical restructuring. The coincidence of commercial and political rationality greatly reduced the likelihood of direct political intervention in the operation of the organizations and led to substantial changes to traditional patterns of industrial relations. Variations in management strategy reflected different organizational circumstances rather than differing applications of the political contingency.
Workplace Industrial Relations 25 Years after Donovan: An Employer View
Authors: Gilbert Robbie
Published: January 2009

Some common management themes of the 1980s can be traced to Donovan and are revealed in practice by the 1990 Workplace Industrial Relations Survey. The paper considers the relevance of factors not endorsed by Donovan and concludes that, while in terms of industrial action in manufacturing — the focus of concern in the mid‐1960s — there is evidence that more order and responsibility has been injected into industrial relations at plant level, we cannot yet maintain that inflationary dangers have been overcome. Collective bargaining is, however, now revealed as affecting only a minority in the private sector, and public services behaviour looks increasingly out of step. The paper suggests that future surveys may therefore need to be recast to capture changing patterns of employer – employee relationships and their links to economic success.
Employee Stock Ownership Plans and Productivity in Japanese Manufacturing Firms
Authors: Jones Derek C. , Kato Takao
Published: January 2009

By using a large new enterprise‐level data set, and evidence drawn from case studies, we show that Japanese employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) are a pervasive and neglected institution. In 1988, more than 90% of all firms listed on Japanese stock markets had an ESOP, and close to 50% of the labour force in firms with ESOPs participated in the plan. Micro data and a production function framework are used to examine the effects on business performance of ESOPs. On average, the net effect of introducing an ESOP is to increase productivity by almost 7%.
Human Resource Management in the Japanese Financial Institution Abroad: The Case of the London Office
Authors: Evans Carolyn L.
Published: January 2009

The evidence on human resource management in overseas offices of Japanese multinational service‐sector firms is far less abundant than that for manufacturing firms. Existing studies describe employment practices that vary, both between firms and over time. To supplement the existing body of evidence, the present study investigates employment practices at two Japanese financial services firms in the City of London through the use of interviews and questionnaire surveys. It focuses on those facets of the ‘Japanese’ management system that may be considered fundamental characteristics: recruitment and selection procedures, training methods, pay and promotion policies, employment security, company culture, and the position of workers within the overall organization. The study considers the implications of changes over time within the two firms when viewed in the context of the existing evidence; such comparison suggests that both corporate strategy and human resource management policy in Japanese financial organizations may have changed during the 1980s.
The ‘Flexible Firm’: Strategy and Segmentation
Authors: Hunter Laurie , McGregor Alan , Maclnnes John , Sproull Alan
Published: January 2009

This paper draws together and provides further analysis of two research projects commissioned by the Department of Employment, with a focus on employers' labour use strategies in Britain. It seeks to place on a firmer statistical basis arguments about the presence and growth of the ‘flexible firm’, and it draws also on case‐study data to explore some of the issues relating to flexibility and strategy. Our conclusions are that there has been a marked absence of strategy in this area, and reasons for this are explored, as are the implications for gender and segmentation in the labour market.
Trade Union Membership Concentration, 1892‐1987: Development and Causation
Authors: Waddington Jeremy
Published: January 2009

Existing studies of British trade union membership concentration have used the variance of logs and concentration ratio measures to show a tendency towards increasing concentration. This paper proposes the Herfindahl index as a more appropriate measure. The annual variation in concentration is analysed by means of the Herfindahl index and shows some fluctuation, particularly prior to 1947. Divergent trends are also shown for manual and white‐collar membership concentration. An explanation of the aggregate trend and of these different occupational trends is advanced in terms of bargaining structure and the development of general unionism.
The Metamorphosis of Australian Industrial Relations
Authors: Hancock Keith , Rawson Don
Published: January 2009

This article outlines the current processes of change in Australian industrial relations ‐ processes whose ultimate direction and effects are unforeseeable. The traditional dominance of conciliation and arbitration tribunals is giving way to more devolved arrangements. Some protagonists of change envisage a move towards collective bargaining, with trade unions having a pervasive and secure role; others believe the place of unions is in question.

The impulse for change comes partly from market‐oriented ideology, but this is not extensively discussed, A second source is the desire of the Australian Council of Trade Unions and the Labor Government to determine wage policy jointly, with the role of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission being essentially that of implementation. Also important is a widely held view that reform of industrial relations is a path to better productivity performance. The paper discusses the justification for that view.

Various questions remain to be answered. These include the possibility for enduring wages policy; the legal framework necessary for bargaining; the nature of the industrial relations system of non‐union enterprises; and the congruence of enterprise bargaining with the structure of trade unionism.
Wages Councils: Was There a Case for Abolition?
Authors: Dickens Richard , Gregg Paul , Machin Stephen , Manning Alan , Wadsworth Jonathan
Published: January 2009

The 1993 Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Act removed the remaining minimum wage protection for some 2.5 million low paid workers by abolishing the last 26 UK Wages Councils. The Government's case for abolition rested on three key arguments: (1) minimum wages do little to alleviate poverty since most covered workers do not live in poor households; (2) when in operation, minimum wages reduced employment in covered industries; (3) the problems of poverty that the wages councils were set up to deal with in 1909 are not relevant in today's labour market.

In this paper we address each of these points in turn. We find that: (a) 50 per cent of families with at least one earner being paid wages council rates come from the poorest 20 per cent of families; (b) the existing evidence suggests that abolishing the Wages Councils is unlikely to create jobs; (c) the widening earnings distribution in the UK means that low pay is an increasingly important determinant of poverty. If anything, there appears to be an increasing need for minimum wage legislation in the UK.
The Employers' Offensive in the Provincial Newspaper Industry
Authors: Gall Gregor
Published: January 2009

This paper examines the widespread moves made by the employers in the provincial newspaper industry since 1987 to derecognize the National Union of Journalists. Based on personal structured interviews with NUJ lay and full‐time officials, and editors and managers, it looks at the extent of the changes and the methods of introducing derecognition. This and several other indicators are used to argue that the employers' actions can be characterized as a strategic offensive. Finally the paper examines the reasons for the employers' offensive, disputing in part the arguments of other researchers in their explanation of the employers' reasons for derecognition.
The Pilots' Compensation Scheme: A Study in Arbitration, Interpretation and Causation
Authors: Smith I. T.
Published: January 2009

This article considers nine cases dealt with by ACAS arbitration in the period from September1991 to July 1993 under the statutory compensation scheme for marine pilots whose engagements were terminated in consequence of the major changes made to the provision of pilotage services by the Pilotage Act 1987. It explains the background to those changes and the problems that arose in the nine cases (problems of interpretation of the scheme, particularly in sickness cases, and then of proving causation in individual cases), and comments on the use of the arbitration procedures in circumstances such as these.
Recent Developments in US Industrial Relations
Authors: Kochan Thomas , Weinstein Marc
Published: January 2009

The persistence of economic pressures that first challenged American industry in the 1970s continues to reshape US industrial relations. In an effort to maintain their competitiveness, US firms have developed a panoply of strategies ranging from confrontation and labour control to collaboration and employee empowerment. This essay reviews evidence relating to the development and diffusion of these alternative strategies and their implications for long‐term US competitiveness. In this context, the recent work of Commission on the Future of Worker‐Management Relations is discussed as well as a number of public policy options intended to facilitate the implementation of high value‐added production systems. The essay concludes with a discussion of the implications of recent trends for industrial relations research.
The Survival of Apprenticeship Training: A British, American, Australian Comparison
Authors: Gospel Howard
Published: January 2009

This paper examines the development of apprenticeship training in three English‐speaking countries where apprenticeship has fared very differently. It declined at an early date in the USA in most sectors of the economy; it survived intact in Britain well into the post‐Second World War period; and it has survived relatively strongly in Australia up to the present day. The reasons for decline and survival are examined and an explanation is proferred in terms of the interaction between the institutional supports and the ability and need felt by employers to sustain the system.
The Effect of Trade Unions on the Provision of Training: Australian Evidence
Authors: Kennedy Sean , Drago Robert , Sloan Judith , Wooden Mark
Published: January 2009

This paper uses data from the Australian Workplace Industrial Relations Survey conducted in 1989–90 to examine the net impact of trade unions on the extent of formal types of employer‐provided training. A net positive effect is found, but only where unions are active in the workplace and not merely de jure representatives of the work‐force. The results also indicate, with respect to in‐house training, that unions shift the emphasis towards work‐forces with long tenure, a finding that is consistent with ‘union voice’ arguments.
Predicting Organizational and Union Commitment: The Effect of Industrial Relations Climate
Authors: Deery Stephen J. , Iverson Roderick D. , Erwin Peter J.
Published: January 2009

Research evidence from North America shows that employees can be committed simultaneously to both their union and their company. Moreover, a co‐operative industrial relations climate has been seen to be conducive to the existence of higher levels of commitment to both organizations. This study utilized a sample of white‐collar unionists in Australia to identify whether union and company commitment could be predicted by the same factors and whether positive perceptions of the industrial relations climate were related to dual commitment. The research found no evidence of dual commitment. Furthermore, company and union commitment were predicted by different factors, and employee perceptions of a co‐operative industrial relations climate were associated with higher employee commitment to the company but lower commitment to the union.
A Final Appraisal of ‘Bridlington’? An Evaluation of TUC Disputes Committee Decisions 1974–1991
Authors: Elgar Jane , Simpson Bob
Published: January 2009

Abstract: This paper reviews decisions of TUC Disputes Committees from 1974 to 1991. It considers whether the rather different conclusions of studies of earlier periods are still valid and assesses the effectiveness of ‘Bridlington’ in resolving disputes over new issues, in particular ‘single‐union deals’. It concludes that there is still a role for a voluntary disputes resolution mechanism of this kind, although recent experience has shown that it has its [imitations. TUC‐affiliated unions will therefore lose a useful mechanism for promoting the efficient use of their resources if the 1993 change in the law leads to Bridlington being abandoned.
Labour Market Incentive Structures and Employee Performance
Authors: Black Boyd
Published: January 2009

Abstract: This paper uses data from the International Social Science Programme Work Orientations Module to investigate whether there is empirical support for Soskice's (1990, 1991) hypothesis that there is a difference in labour market incentive structures between northern European ‘flexibly co‐ordinated’ systems and the ‘uncoordinated’ or ‘deregulated’ systems of the UK and the USA, which generates improved employee co‐operation and performance in the former. Labour markets in ‘uncoordinated’ systems are found to generate the better employee work performance. Little support is found for the existence of a ‘flexibly co‐ordinated’ type of labour market incentive structure. Instead, labour market incentive structures are found to be heterogeneous.
Trade Union Policies towards the Youth Training Scheme: Patterns and Causes
Authors: Ryan Paul
Published: January 2009

The Youth Training Scheme presented British unions with a mix of opportunities and threats. Patterns of interest in and policy towards YTS among the 42 largest unions are studied for 1983–8. Most unions showed interest in YTS but they divided sharply on whether or not to oppose it. Statistical analysis indicates a role for both economic and political factors in determining differences between unions in interest and policy. Opposition proved most intense and widespread among unions that represented the lower‐grade occupations in the public sector. Such unions were heavily affected by trainee‐employee substitution and in addition were relatively well placed to enforce its exclusion. Left‐wing political orientation was also associated with opposition to YTS, but at the level of principle rather than action.
Restructuring and Workplace Unionism at Manchester Airport
Authors: Darlington Ralph
Published: January 2009

This paper provides evidence from empirical case‐study research into the impact of compulsory competitive tendering on workplace union organization among the baggage‐handling workforce at Manchester Airport. It documents the main processes of development within an historical context, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of workplace unionism during the 1980s, the recent challenge posed by managerial restructuring in the early 1990s, and the wider implications for debates about the ‘state’ of workplace unionism in Britain today.

Compared with the union resilience displayed by the baggage handlers during the 1980s, the nature of shop‐stewards' organization appears to have changed drastically to managemenťs advantage during the last few years. However, continuing underlying tensions in worker‐management relations suggest that this situation may not necessarily amount to a fundamental and irreversible transformation in the nature of workplace unionism in the manner in which those who use the vocabulary of the ‘New Industrial Relations’ would suggest.
Annual Review Article 1994
Authors: Morris Tim
Published: January 2009

This review examines trends in the economy and industrial relations in 1994 and goes on to consider the implications for unions of the continuing restructuring of organizations in the public and private sectors. The background is one of cyclical improvement in economic performance, with low inflation and strong growth feeding through to higher profit margins. Firms are shown to have enjoyed the benefits of the upturn with little pressure from labour for a greater share of the surplus. Unsurprisingly, employers have not generated much demand for further reform of the industrial relations system. Unions, on the other hand, have remained largely on the defensive, from a combination of job insecurity among their members, organizational constraints and political marginalization. Initiatives from the TUC show evidence of the union movement trying to develop a new set of strategies to break out of the spiral of decline.
Directors' Pay in the Privatized Utilities
Authors: Conyon Martin J.
Published: January 2009

This exploratory paper examines the relationship between the remuneration of the highest paid director and company performance in the privatized utilities. Four conclusions regarding the structure of top directors' pay emerge from the analysis. First, the salary plus bonus remuneration of top directors in the privatized utilities has increased by 12 per cent per annum since 1990. Second, average employee pay in these utilities has grown by about 3.1 per cent per annum over the same period. This suggests that top pay growth in the privatized utilities has outstripped that of the average worker since 1990. Third, the analysis cannot isolate a robust statistical relationship between directors' compensation and measures of pre‐dated company performance. Finally, directors' share option dealings can sometimes considerably inflate their overall compensation.

Taken together, these findings implicitly question the current efficacy of remuneration committees for determining boardroom pay in the privatized utilities. One solution, which may enable shareholders more accurately to assess executive performance, is for complete disclosure of all components of directors' pay in the company accounts.
The Failure of Recent State Vocational Training Policies in Korea from a Comparative Perspective
Authors: Jeong Jooyeon
Published: January 2009

On the basis of fieldwork conducted during June 1992 and 1993, this study examines outcomes of two recent vocational training policies in Korea, cooperative training, and ChangWon Industrial Masters' College. It was found that these two policies, seeking to imitate the German dual vocational training model, failed to produce the industrial skills sought. These outcomes can be explained by examining two social contexts surrounding the policies in comparison with those in Germany: the exclusive role of the government in industrial relations, and a minimal interest in skill formation by manufactur‐ingfirms
Industrial Relations in Transition Economies: Emergent Industrial Relations Institutions in Bulgaria
Authors: Martin Roderick , Vidinova Anna , Hill Stephen
Published: January 2009

East European societies currently in transition to market economies are creating new structures for industrial relations. Transition has ambiguous effects upon the relations between industrial relations institutions and the state. On the one hand, economic pluralism implies separation between state and economy and ‘depoliticization’. On the other, economic crises and threats to social order require co‐operation between state and unions. The influence of the state is greater because of the embryonic form of employer organization and enterprise‐level management. This paper examines the political and economic contexts of industrial relations in Bulgaria, as an example of one type of ‘constrained’ collective bargaining system. The paper emphasizes continuities between the communist and post‐communist period, and the central role of trade unions in the transition process.
What Has Been Happening to Pay in the Public‐Service Sector of the British Economy? Developments over the Period 1970–1992
Authors: Elliott R. F. , Duffus K.
Published: January 2009

This study presents a detailed analysis of the most important developments in public‐service workers' pay over the period since 1970. It records the real earnings growth of all the largest groups of public‐service workers in Britain and details the consequences of the different rates of earnings growth enjoyed by the various groups for pay differentials and relative pay in the public sector. It details the size of wage settlements and calculates the magnitude of wage drift for all major groups of public‐service‐sector workers, and it considers the extent to which the fastest rates of earnings growth appear to result from particular institutional arrangements for determining pay, offering a brief discussion of the role of pay review bodies in this process. The study uses unpublished data from the New Earnings Survey together with detailed information on the size and timing of wage settlements over the period 1970–1992.
Negotiating the Government of Unison: Union Democracy in Theory and Practice
Authors: Terry Michael
Published: January 2009

During the 1980s existing approaches to union government and democracy came under critical scrutiny. The virtues of decentralized systems were questioned; unions were strongly criticized for failing to represent the interests of women. These debates found clear expression in the negotiations leading to the creation of Unison. This paper examines the negotiations that created governing structures intended to preserve key features of the partner‐unions' own democratic traditions and to respond to criticisms of their shortcomings. Most dramatically, Unison introduced a system of proportionality for women. It also provided systems of representation for the lower‐paid and for other groups often excluded from union government. The conclusions examine whether the representative but complex system, likely to serve as a benchmark for the future, can live up to its claims.
What Caused Rising Earnings Inequality in Britain? Evidence from Time Series, 1970–1993
Authors: Leslie Derek , Pu Yonghao
Published: January 2009

The paper reviews some of the competing explanations for the rising levels of earnings inequality in Britain, such as skill shortages, rising unemployment, globalization, demographic factors and inflation. These explanations are rejected in favour of the idea that it was the major changes in the institutional pay‐setting arrangements that were largely responsible for rising inequality. Union density figures and strike data are explored in support of this thesis.
A Typology of Japanese Enterprise Unions
Authors: Benson John
Published: January 2009

Are Japanese enterprise unions similar, or are there substantial variations among these unions in relation to their dependence on management and their structures for member involvement? Using a survey of unions conducted in 1991 and detailed interviews with union officials in 1993, a typology of enterprise unionism is developed. A preliminary assessment of the model is then made with reference to a range of industrial relations practices and behaviour.
Chinese Trade Unions in the Transition from Socialism: Towards Corporatism or Civil Society?
Authors: White Gordon
Published: January 2009

The article explores the changing role of China's trade unions in the era of post‐Mao economic reform in the light of two alternative scenarios of organizational evolution—corporatism and civil society. Using interviews and survey materials as well as documentary evidence, it concludes that the increasing complexity of the Chinese economy and the tensions it is producing are creating an associational universe of workers' organizations which is diverse and volatile, embodying elements of both scenarios. In such a context, corporatist industrial relations will be difficult to establish and maintain and it is likely that, in relations between unions and the party‐state, the principles of corporatist inclusion and free association will come into increasing conflict.
Unitarism, Pluralism, Interests and Values
Authors: Provis Chris
Published: January 2009

The paper notes that in both management theory and pluralist political theory there has recently been increased emphasis on culture and values. The implication is that the ideas of unitarism and pluralism in industrial relations need to be reconsidered. Traditionally, they have been expounded in terms of interests, and values are significantly different from interests. An emphasis on values rather than interests raises some new problems both for unitarists and pluralists. For unitarists, ‘managing values’ can involve paradox and contradiction. For pluralists, emphasis on values requires a new conception of the process by which differences are reconciled, and may require changes to union structures.