Documents Industrial Relations Journal 763 results

"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."

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"While the need for a transformation to tackle climate change is no longer contested, competing visions about the future have taken the front seat in political debates. Previous research on stakeholders in the European Parliament and the German Bundestag identified opposing views relating to green growth, degrowth and post-growth. In relation to trade unions, these have recently been discussed conceptually to some extent, but empirical work on the topic has hitherto been absent. Drawing on 25 semi-structured interviews with representatives of Germany's DGB trade unions, we find that, despite their strong support for a green growth narrative and official opposition to post-growth thought, the majority of interviewees sketched out concrete visions for a just future that in some respects aligns with post- or a-growth positions. In line with post-growth discourses, trade union officials described an economy that allows for ‘a good life' and ‘good work', based on principles of co-determination, secure and well-paid jobs ensured by collective bargaining, income, wealth and inheritance tax reform and a stronger, more active role of the state. Findings suggest that despite German labour unions' shared opposition to the term post-growth or degrowth, there is significant overlap in terms of concrete goals and policy proposals."

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

"In the context of reduced opportunities for traditional forms of union organising, this paper asks: how well do digital campaigns facilitate the advancement of trade union aims? The paper examines a campaign to secure a Right to Disconnect (RtD) for workers in the financial services sector in Ireland. Through interviews with key actors including union organisers and activists, as well as an in-depth examination of secondary data, including union social media, policy documentation and survey data, this paper outlines the strategies underpinning the campaign, the techniques employed at various stages, and the outcomes achieved. The findings demonstrate how unions can advance their regulatory function through organising and contributes to our practical understanding of the orchestration of digital campaigns through a multifaceted approach, strategically targeting different stakeholders concurrently."

This work is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

"This study examines workers' motives for joining or rejecting a voluntary 28-h work-time reduction scheme in Germany. Using a mixed-methods design that combines semi-structured interviews and a survey of eligible employees, we analyse how personal, financial, and professional considerations shape decisions about shorter hours. Two main motivational categories emerge: a desire for greater work-life balance, and concerns about income loss and career impact. Findings highlight how uncertainty affects perceived opportunities and risks differently: even without clear time-use plans shorter hours can be chosen to increase autonomy, but they are rejected confidently to avoid professional or financial risks. This underlines the value of qualitative research with open-ended questions and the potential strategic relevance of latent desires to reduce hours among workers who are currently reluctant to consider such options."

This work is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

"This study investigates the factors influencing public support for railway worker strikes in the United Kingdom. Using a seven-wave survey conducted from December 2022 to October 2023, the paper explores the relationship between public opinion and strike action in the context of British railways. Our analysis considers socioeconomic, political, and geographical factors. Key findings indicate significant variation in support based on political alignment, with right-leaning individuals and those who voted Conservative in the 2019 General Election showing less support for strikes. Surprisingly, proximity to railway stations and income levels did not significantly impact public support. Regional analysis reveals the North East of England, an area with lower rail usage, exhibits higher support for strikes. Furthermore, we find higher levels of support for strikes among ethnic minority groups. This paper contributes to understanding public sentiments on transport strikes, highlighting the complexity of public opinion shaped by political and regional factors. These insights are useful for policymakers and trades unions in addressing the challenges of public transport strikes and their broader societal impacts."

This work is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

"This article considers the implications of further constitutional devolution for the regulation of work and employment, taking Wales as its case study. It reviews the current profile of the Welsh labour market, the climate for industrial relations and existing structures of pay determination and collective bargaining in this context. The article concludes that devolution presents risks as well as potential benefits, especially where the collective interests of workers are not easily delimited by regional boundaries. Therefore, the risks of fragmentation and decentralisation should be taken into consideration when evaluating the implications of constitutional devolution for the collective power of workers and their trade unions."

"International seafarers are highly trained and certificated workers but are subject to precaritising working conditions. This affects how they understand and respond to perceived inequities in relation to terms and conditions of employment. Drawing on qualitative interview data, this article examines how this group of workers make sense, rationalise and cope with precarious working conditions. In so doing, it: (i) highlights a range of inequities in seafarer terms and conditions of employment; (ii) examines how seafarers make sense of, and respond to, these inequities within a precaritising work context; and (iii) argues that seafarers adopt a pragmatic context-sensitive approach that allows them to flex between different modes of understanding (i.e., framings) in a manner that is individualised, rational and preserves their sense of agency."

"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."