Documents Trif, Aurora 20 results

"The 2021–2022 inflation crisis in the EU offers an opportunity to examine how diverse industrial relations systems respond to similar macroeconomic shocks. This article compares Romania and Slovenia, two post-communist countries whose industrial relations systems are poles apart. The expectation was that, in contrast to the enfeebled Romanian system, Slovenia would not only resort to social dialogue but also adopt comprehensive measures to shield workers from the dual energy- and food-related shock. Yet, there was less divergence than anticipated. In particular, while unilateralism took place in Romania because of the weakness of its unions post-2011, the interruption of tripartite negotiations in Slovenia was the result of the social partners' actions and not a deliberate government strategy. Hence, while confirming that governments play the main role in supporting social dialogue, this article suggests that the social partners also carefully ponder the costs and benefits of their involvement in tripartite policy-making."

"This article investigates how cross-border mobility in the European shipbuilding industry affected the employment security of workers on standard and non-standard contracts in sending and receiving countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. It draws on qualitative findings from Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland and Romania, where shipbuilding production is integrated into transnational networks, leading to high cross-border mobility. Despite restrictions and a reduction of shipbuilding activities, the east-west labour mobility continued during the pandemic contributing to employment security in the east and addressing labour shortages in the west. The findings show that the type of employment contract, national employment protections and workers' mobility status (e.g. posted or self-initiated) influence workers' vulnerability. Specifically, the mobile workers with the most secure employment were also better protected by government measures than those in less secure employment during the pandemic, resulting in hierarchised groups of cross-border labour. Workers engaging in circular migration across Europe were the least protected."

"Romanian labour law was changed radically in 2011, causing a rapid demolition of the multi-layered collective bargaining system, despite the existence of relatively strong unions. This article examines the foundation of new employers' prerogatives, and whether they have been willing and able to use them in manufacturing sectors and companies where unions have a strong hold. It focuses on extreme cases of change and continuity in setting the terms and conditions of employment after 2008. Employers have been able to use the new legal provisions to worsen employment conditions, but there is variation across companies depending on employers' attitudes, developments in collective bargaining in other large companies in the area and unions' capacity to mobilize. This analysis facilitates a better understanding of the consequences of downgrading individual and collective employment rights."

"Der Beitrag greift die Frage auf, weshalb die rumänischen Gewerkschaften nach der Krise von 2008 angesichts eines drakonischen Regierungsangriffs auf ihre Rechte so machtlos waren. Er beleuchtet das Zusammenspiel zwischen gewerkschaftsinternen (institutionellen) und externen (wirtschaftspolitischen) Einflüssen und hinterfragt die These, die Schwäche osteuropäischer Gewerkschaften ließe sich auf deren institutionelles Erbe zurückführen. Die Untersuchung bestätigt, dass interne Probleme die gewerkschaftliche Kampfkraft erheblich geschmälert und eine Verschiebung von den politisch motivierten Ausständen der 1990er Jahre hin zu einkommensbezogenen Streiks bewirkt haben. Jedoch haben auch externe Faktoren entscheidend zur Stärkung der Regierungsposition und zur Schwächung gewerkschaftlichen Widerstandes beigetragen: beispielsweise die Zustimmung der Europäischen Kommission zur Aushöhlung grundlegender Gewerkschaftsrechte und die Blockadehaltung derselben, als es um die Rücknahme der entsprechenden Gesetze ging."

"This article examines the impact of the recession on collective bargaining in Romania, focusing on legislative changes and developments in the public health care and the construction sectors. Prior to the recession, Romania had a legal system that supported dialogue between trade unions, employers and the government, resulting in widespread collective bargaining at all levels. In 2011, the government scrapped all collective agreements and changed, without parliamentary debate, the main labour laws, making it impossible to have cross-sectoral collective agreements and far more difficult to negotiate collective agreements at the sectoral, multi-employer and company levels. The recession was thus used by the centre-right government as a pretext to reform the industrial relations system. "

"Privatisation was expected to play a key role in facilitating the

restructuring of the former state-owned sector in Eastern Europe after 1989.

However, empirical studies show mixed results. This study investigates

whether privatised companies are more advanced than State-Owned Enterprises

(SOEs) in the restructuring process. It compares the experiences of four large

companies in the chemical sector in Romania, two of which have been

privatised and two SOEs. It focuses on ownership changes, the modifications of

the decision making processes, the mechanisms of resource allocation and the

market success of these companies. The findings suggest that privatisation does

not necessarily lead to a deeper restructuring and a separation of profitable and

non-profitable businesses."