Documents Jonker-Hoffrén, Paul 4 results

"In 2008, the collective agreement of the Finnish paper industry was significantly rewritten. This case study analyses the influence of internal factions on the capability of the Finnish Paper Workers' Union to shift to a strategy of partnership. It is shown that resistance to change was especially strong with longer-serving shop stewards, and the strong division into factions implies limits to the extent of partnership in the Finnish paper industry."

"This thesis consists of four articles and an introductory section. The main research questions in all the articles refer to the changes in the representativeness of the Finnish Paper Workers' Union. Representativeness stands for the entire entity of external, internal, legal and reputational factors that enable the labor union to represent its members and achieve its goals. This concept is based on an extensive reading of quantitative and qualitative industrial relations literature, which includes works based on Marxist labor-capital relations (such as Hyman's industrial relations studies), and more recent union density studies as well as gender- and ethnic diversity-based 'union revitalization' studies. Müller-Jentsch's German studies of industrial relations have been of particular importance as well as Streeck's industrial unionism and technology studies. The concept of representativeness is an attempt to combine the insights of these diverse strands of literature and bring the scientific discussion of labor unions back to the core of a union's function: representing its members. As such, it can be seen as a theoretical innovation. The concept helps to acknowledge both the heterogeneity of the membership and the totality of a labor union organization. The concept of representativeness aims to move beyond notions of 'power'. ..."

"In the article, the regulatory trajectories of variable hours contracts (VHCs, denoting oncall contracts, and zero-hours contracts) are analysed in two countries, the Netherlands and Finland. The unity or disunity in social partners' readiness for bringing the issue of VHCs to the agenda of collective bargaining has implications for the labour market regimes. From the institutional change perspective, the shared agenda in regulating the VHCs implies conversion of the labour market regime in the Netherlands. In Finland, layering was seen in the development of labour legislation, whereas the disregard of VHCs in collective bargaining implies drift. In Finland, the ‘legislative route' of regulating conditions of labour may strengthen, undermining the negotiatory autonomy of social partners, earlier embedded in the structure of the Nordic labour market regime."