Signs of segmentation? A flexicurity perspective on decentralized collective bargaining in Denmark
Economic and Industrial Democracy
2012
33
2
May
245-265
collective bargaining ; flexible working time ; labour relations ; flexicurity
Collective bargaining
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0143831X11408144
English
Bibliogr.
"This article addresses the contribution of decentralized collective bargaining to the development of different forms of flexicurity for different groups of employees on the Danish labour market. Based on five case studies of company-level bargaining on flexible working hours in Danish industry, it is argued that decentralized bargaining has enabled new balances between flexibility and security to develop for many but not all groups of employees. On the one hand, the company-level agreements on flexible working hours facilitate greater efficiency and employee satisfaction that often goes beyond the text of the agreements. On the other hand, less flexible employees often face difficulties in meeting the demands of the agreements and may ultimately be forced to leave the company and rely on unemployment benefits and active labour market policies. In a flexicurity perspective, this development seems to imply a segmentation of the Danish workforce regarding hard and soft versions of flexicurity. "
Paper
The ETUI is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the ETUI.