Documents Parker, Jane 24 results

"The field of employment and industrial relations explores a myriad of complex topics, themes and phenomena, and this book provides a guide for researching this fascinating area. Investigating micro-, meso-, macro- and cross-national forms of analysis, it is a crucial toolkit for researchers to consult in their studies.
The Field Guide to Researching Employment and Industrial Relations is a vital examination of emerging and established methodological approaches, from qualitative research to transdisciplinary methods. Vignettes throughout the chapters showcase research methods in action, paired with experience-based reflections from expert researchers. The book is an accessible compendium of methodologies - perfect for any stage of the research process.
Early career researchers focusing on employment and industrial relations, human resources and labour economics will find this book to be an important resource. An indispensable repository of established and emerging research methods, it is also beneficial to experienced researchers and academics."

"Confidentiality is a cornerstone workplace issue, involving the protection of sensitive company and employee matters, and of individual workers' and collective rights to information and consultation (I&C), board-level representation, health and safety (H&S) representation, and privacy. For many worker representatives, however, it is not always clear what and when information will be shared with them, nor the extent to which they will be consulted on key workplace issues. For example, in the restructuring of transnational companies, European Works Council (EWC) involvement in related processes has long been shown to be limited (De Spiegelaere 2016), and EWCs are often informed only after strategic decisions have been taken. In part, this may reflect limited dialogue in the contexts in which national I&C structures are comparatively weaker.

This handbook aims to provide readers with an introductory reference to key regulations and concepts concerning workplace representation bodies and the regulation of confidential information in the workplace in various EU Member States and the United Kingdom. Each country chapter presents an overview of the industrial relations setting written by the contributing editor. The remainder is based on 2020 reports by national experts and more recent sources. "

"Europe is once more confronted with profound turmoil, characterised by intersecting environmental, geopolitical, demographic and socio-economic crises. This polycrisis reflects a broader societal demand to redefine what economic progress means and how it is distributed, highlighting the inherent precarity of our social and economic systems, and the pressing need for an equitable and sustainable future. At this critical juncture, the question is not if we will transition to a greener economy but rather when and how we can ensure that everyone benefits from it..."

"The concept of a living wage is defined by quality of life and work life, not merely economic subsistence. It extends to adequate participation in organizational and social life. In development economics, these crucial components of “decent work” connect with “capabilities”, whose development is important to individuals, organizations and society. However, the links between income and capabilities remain unknown, and living wages are often set by fiat. By integrating theories from development studies, management, psychology and employment relations into a single concentric, contingency model, the authors derive a series of propositions with which to test this context-sensitive model in empirical research."

"Drawing on evidence from longitudinal case studies in 25 organizations, this article examines whether information and consultation (I&C) bodies established in the context of the UK's Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations 2004 have been the vehicle for effective consultation, based on objective criteria. Assessed against the regulations' default provisions that require I&C concerning strategic business issues and major organizational change, a substantial minority of participating organizations were categorized as ‘active consulters', while a majority were ‘communicators'. The differing trajectories of I&C primarily reflected internal organizational dynamics, particularly management's approach to consultation. Beyond providing the catalyst for managerial moves to introduce I&C, the influence of the statutory framework proved largely peripheral."

"Trade unions around the developed world face common challenges in terms of declining membership and influence, and ‘conventional' union revival strategies have yielded limited success. A relatively recent innovation has been the embrace of ‘social movement unionism' (SMU), which challenges traditional workplace conceptions of trade union roles via alliances with campaigning civil society organisations. This empirical study examines how SMU is conceived and applied in a small country context, focusing on the role of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions. The findings suggest that SMU can appeal to trade union associations in smaller national (or regional) settings owing to a combination of institutional and size effects which concentrate networks. This has implications for unions and union federations interested in advancing both workplace and wider social justice concerns."

"Although academic work reflects on the roles of women's groups (WG) in British unions, research on their impacts is scant. This study employs survey, interview and documentary evidence to evaluate the meaning of WG effects for progress towards union goals. It draws in particular on specific findings relating to WG – union relations in the public and civil services. While the monitoring of WG effects is limited, taken collectively, the data sources indicate that WGs have helped to advance a range of union aims. Some have also imbued or challenged certain union goals with particular equality approaches and/or have enlarged their union's goal repertoire. WGs adopt conventional and less orthodox strategies in these pursuits. Implications for union and WG relations, theory and research are discussed."

"Women's groups (WGs) provide a platform from which women can develop their strengths, advance their concerns and access empowering positions. Academic attention to WGs in British unions has recently increased, reflecting their expansion and growing union responsiveness to female members. However, the meaning of WGs for unions remains under-researched. This article examines this using case studies of two major unions and a range of their WGs based on a typology of equality ideas and model of union organisation."

"Women's groups in unions are collective spaces within which women seek to advance their concerns and access empowering positions. This paper examines their pursuit of gender equality in unions. The need to explore unions and women's groups is heightened by women's significance as a source of union membership, and the connection between union revitalization and responsiveness to women. The paper uses case studies of two unions, MSF and USDAW, and seven women's groups. The analysis is structured by a typology of two frameworks: (i) a typology of gendered equality ideas derived from various literatures, and (ii) the dynamic and linked dimensions of Hyman's (1994) union organization model. Implications for research and theory, and for union policy and practice, are discussed."

"Discussion of union equality and democracy usually locates women's group (WG) organizing as a special representative form within unions. This study focuses on the extent to which WGs themselves address the interests of diverse constituent groups. Data from a national survey of Trades Union Congress affiliates were used to map WGs across unions and analyse the attention they give to group diversity relative to gender in pursuit of equality and better interest representation. It emerged that most members belong to unions where WGs tackle diversity to some extent. Implications for WG and union renewal strategy, research and theory are examined. "