Documents Hayter, Susan 9 results

"This book examines the ways in which collective bargaining addresses a variety of workplace concerns in the context of today's global economy. Globalization can contribute to growth and development, but as the recent financial crisis demonstrated, it also puts employment, earnings and labour standards at risk. This book examines the role that collective bargaining plays in ensuring that workers are able to obtain a fair share of the benefits arising from participation in the global economy and in providing a measure of security against the risk to employment and wages. It focuses on a commonly neglected side of the story and demonstrates the positive contribution that collective bargaining can make to both economic and social goals. The various contributions examine how this fundamental principle and right at work is realized in different countries and how its practice can be reinforced across borders. They highlight the numerous resulting challenges and the critically important role that governments play in rebalancing bargaining power in a global economy. The chapters are written in an accessible style and deal with practical subjects, including employment security, workplace change and productivity, and working time."

"Using data on collective bargaining coverage for 80 countries, the authors analyse the merits of using the extension of collective agreements as a policy tool for creating a floor for conditions of work and employment. Issued by public authorities, this regulatory instrument is distinctive in that it is based on agreement between independent, autonomous and representative organizations. This gives it some of the advantages of a contract as well as those of a statute. The extension of collective agreements by public authorities can provide coverage for vulnerable workers who may not otherwise have access to social protection, while offering a highly responsive form of regulation that can be adapted to particular circumstances."

"In her introductory paper, the coordinator of this Special Issue puts the selection of subsequent contributions into context. Traditional industrial relations institutions, born of labour law's premise of unbalanced power relations between the worker and the employer, are being undermined by unprecedented global changes in patterns of work and forms of employment. This trend, compounded by the emergence of alternative forms of worker representation, poses a major challenge not only to conventional trade unionism but also to policy and to industrial relations scholarship. This Special Issue is intended as a contribution to the ensuing, ongoing debate about the direction of future change."

"Collective bargaining over wages and other working conditions between unions and employers is a key labour market institution in democratic societies. The coverage and impact of this institution varies over time and across countries. This issue brief examines differences in collective bargaining coverage for 75 countries. Inclusive bargaining, conducted by unions and employers' organizations received significant public policy support during the interwar Depression and after 1945. By contrast, collective bargaining has come under pressure in many countries since the financial crisis of 2008. This followed a longer-term decline in union membership rates. Countries in which collective bargaining coverage remained stable or increased are those that supported inclusive collective bargaining through a range of policy measures."