Comparative Industrial Relations - Assignment Example

Name: Course: Tutor: Date: Question 1 The notion that proportion of main influence on employment in comparative perspective are largely country specific can be backed by several factors. Ron Bean undertakes a comparative analysis of employment relation and highlights that One of the basic features that makes employment relations to be largely country specific is attributed to the academic sector of Industrial relations(1) .The field is typically defined by the diverse characteristic of job regulation. These particular regulations formulate the rules for employment relationship within a country. Employment relations can therefore be referred to as country specific due to regulatory measures that are outlined by academic institutions within a country. Although of the existence of comparative industrial studies has expanded, which deal with transnational and international studies. These relations can only be applied on international labor movements or multinational organizations. As a result employment relations can basically be categorized as country specific because most organizations available within a country are state owned or privately owed by citizens. Greg et al (329) in the analysis of comparative and international relations, notes the importance of national employment relations within the national level. He indicates that these particular relations not only promote development at the economic level but also at the institutional and political levels within a country. For instance, when Korea took over the role of OECD and the International Labor Organizations contributions in shaping labour legislations. The country made significant steps in terms of workforce participation which further influenced improvements in other sectors of the economy. Such aspects therefore indicate that the influence of employment relations within the comparative perspective can basically be more functional within the national level (Ron 4). The main function of the system of industrial relations is the distribution of power resources between buyers and sellers of manpower and the changes that are linked to this distribution. The aspect of power resources are basis of the ownership patterns of capital that exists among employees. In addition the organization is well united and political power effectively exercised. The broad realization of this attributes can best be attained within the national level. This is due to the fact that centralization of the power base is well organized within the country level. This means that industrial relations which mainly encompass the analysis of every persons work can effectively be established within country specification in order to enhance proper management of the work force. Another major factor is associated to the fact that the general structure of changes that may occur within the Industrial sector can effectively be detected within the country specification. In the recent years rapid changes have occurred which usually force many organizations to formulate innovations that are either organizational or technological for the major purpose of meeting these particular changes. In some of the countries employee relations are frequently advocated for with reduced emphasis on the concept of collectivism. Changes in production systems and markets have resulted to the development of greater initiatives in terms of management. The end result is strong pressure which mainly emphasizes on centralization, yet centralization can best be practiced within the national specification as opposed to the international level. The influence on employment relations in comparative perspective are largely country specific. This can be attributed to the fact that the formulation of organizations that fight for employee welfare such as trade unions can best be organized within the national level as opposed to the international level. Question 2 Globalization can be referred to as the continuing process through which regional economies, cultures and societies have become integrated through the development of a global spanning network that facilitates trade and communication. Globalization has had adverse impacts in the management of employment relations within a comparative perspective. When making a comparative analysis of different countries, it is evident that globalization has to great extents transformed employment relations both positively and negatively. One of the positive attributes contributed by globalization as is linked to the fact that systems of industrial relations can directly be shared within various countries. Practitioners and policy makers may aim at utilizing techniques or approaches that have been implemented in other countries for the purpose of improving employee relations. Comparisons that are undertaken internationally might result to acquisition of useful practices which can improve employee relations. Such forms of adaptations have actually benefited many counties. For instance a recent analysis of the substantive policy and problems of provisions of statutory Union undertaken in Canada, the USA and Britain, become a practical instrumental approach that improved industrial relations in Japan (Ron 7). The challenges that affect employment relations within a state can well be dealt with as a result of globalization trend. This is due to the fact that enforcements can easily be coordinated within states to enhance improvement of employment relations. For instance the efforts of the Canadian Unions to coordinate through bargaining with the Unions in United Sates facilitated improvements of employee relations in Mexico in response to the challenges that face the North American continent as a whole. This fundamental move was basically promoted by globalization (Greg 330). Globalization is also a fundamental aspect in the shaping of future employment relations. This can basically be activated through international labour standards through bodies such as (WTO) World Trade Organization and the ILO the International Labour Organization. These bodies have been playing an active role of trying to enforce and develop international labour standards through recommendations and conventions. In addition they have been a major source of labour laws which are to be practiced internationally by enactment of recommendations which act as advisory standards for employee relations in various countries (Greg 332). Comparative analysis of employment in various counties is also easily carried out due to globalization. The differences and similarities that exist within different national systems can be directed towards making a generalization of the problems that affect different countries. The utilization of comparative analysis for practical considerations with an aim of attempting to retrieve lessons from experiences overseas has been enhanced through globalization. Emulated industrial relations methods have demonstrated increased success in this particular aspect. For example after the Second World War many countries made a lot impressive efforts to try an emulate the American collective bargaining arrangements and there type of trade unions, after it become clear that industrial relations can basically be improved through transfer of skills , that are basically attained from comparative analysis (Ron 5). One of the negative impacts of globalization in the employment relations within the comparative framework is based on the fact that the notion of regime is developed from the development of an international political economy which ignores employment relations within the national framework .The impact of this is that this kind of isolation within the national level results to reinforcement of international systems of governance or rules which basically do not fit in the context of a particular country. For instance the adaptation of British employment regulations did not effectively work in Nigeria due to different economic, social and political contexts (Greg 330). Question 3 Work councils are special negotiation bodies that represent various employee requirements. Work council arrangements provide workers with effective representation through formulation of a special negotiating body between employees and the central management. The council basically operates as a procedure for consulting and informing employees. The work councils are required to carry out regular meeting in specification like four times a year, within any establishment or organization. They consist of fifty employs or more. These frequent meetings facilitate in depth analysis of the work situation of workers in a particular county (Creg 319). These councils provide employees with effective representation due to the fact that there main objective is to promote the long term and overall interests of employees as opposed to defending certain narrow needs of the workforce with a basic aim of improving job interests. There role is interpreted through being conscious and aware of employee needs. This characteristic will practically assist the work councils to effectively undertake their negotiation role. The other strategy used by these councils to facilitate effective representation of the work force is linked to the aspect mobilizing the ideological perspective that employees too can have a voice in matters that concern their working environment. Through molding the workforce logically with aim of enhancing structural transformation and proper negotiate grounds it is possible to develop through the work councils an effective working environment for the workforce even in organizations with exploitive tendencies (Ron 20). In countries such as Korea, the work councils are organized according to the (LMC) also known as the Labour Management Council which play the role of representation of employees in terms of improving employee welfare, increasing productivity, training, education and tacking the grievances of the work force. Organizations are required to submit the rules pertaining to their LMCs to the labour minister. The LMCs in Korea is basically mechanism through which power over the workforce is exercised through a consultative manner. This particular management council played a vital role in the transformation of Korean working environment, where no trade union representation was allowed, until later (Creg 319). The extent to which work councils provide workers with effective representation is undertaken within the community scale. For instance an undertaking that consists of 1000 employees within a particular member state can carry out tasks such as Consultations through the exchange of ideas and founding of dialogue between the representatives of employees and the central management. In addition work councils take a dominant influence in other undertakings such as financial participation, ownership and formulation of rules that govern the body. One the most successful implementation of the work council is found in Germany. The enforced model of this organization adheres to labour agreements enforced by national unions at national level with the national association for employers. The basic aim of work councils in this particular context is to adjust agreements made nationally in the context of local circumstances. Conflicts between employees and employers are common occurrence that can sometimes prove to be difficult to solve. Work councils provide workers with effective representation through the reduction conflicts within the workplace, through improvement of channels of communication in order to raise the workers bargaining power at the expense of the employers through legislation. The work councils therefore make analysis of the applicable laws to be utilized in solving work place related conflicts. Further more they correct market failures through utilization of public policies. Question 4 The proposition that action by trade unions is a more effective way of raising the international labour standards than the voluntary efforts of multinational companies. This statement can be verified by several perspectives. The action of trade unions can be acclaimed to be a more effective way of raising international labour standards than the voluntary actions of multinational countries, can be backed by the fact that in despite that multinational companies control two thirds of trading systems and half of the industrial capacity of the world, their primary goal has basically been increasing and developing world capitalism. In addition the aim at expansion of investment opportunities (Ron 187).Trade unions on the other hand seek to attain their objective not only through bargaining collectively but also through lobbing legislations that will actually act as fundamental political action for improving employee welfare (Ron 20).It can therefore be concluded that trade unions are more effective mechanisms for raising international trading standard. This is due to the fact that if the employee welfare is the improved effective output will be attained thus improving international labour standards. Trade unions also facilitate collective bargaining systems through various strategies. For instance the unionism style of the west acts primary as bargaining agents for a certain group of workers, for example trade Unions in Italy and France, are closely linked to political parties , unions in this countries basically operate as partners with the democratic governance in a state. Through these particular relations, trade unions are able to bargain on issue concerning employees, under the umbrella of unionism. In despite of the fact that multinational companies can voluntarily champion for workers welfare, their strategies would not be that effective due to distance connectivity with the political system which is also fundamental in championing of employee welfare. Trade Unions can effectively be managed and operated in terms of enhancing employee welfare. Trade Unions are established centrally in a particular country, this means that they are much more homogeneous in trying to carry out their operations. Multinational corporations on the other hand differ in terms of size and organization. The multi national organizations are functionally in more than one country, there operations basically transverse beyond national boundaries, frequently on a global scale. With this type of organizational framework it is actually difficult to put into consideration employee welfare in each member state. Trade unions on the other hand can effectively meet the requirements of workers representation due to centralization of operations within a particular country. (Ron 187). Trade union organizations use the strategy of collective bargaining, which implies that they negotiate on agreements that are collective or other issues concerning employees with employer’s organizations or an employer. A trade union may also further entrust a unions federation in which the affiliated authority can negotiate on its behalf. The law also gives provisions for bargaining within the multi-employer level which takes place within the industrial or enterprise level. The volunteer efforts of multinational organizations in addressing employee problems may not be that effective due to the fact that there are distinctive features of industrial relations within every country. For instance, if one multinational company operated in both Japan and Korea, the applicable rules of trade unions are different. This is due to the fact that in despite of the fact that Korean regulations of industrial relations were formulated from Japan during the colonial period, they were later amended after world war two (Creg et al 318). Question 5 The main ways in which globalization has impacted collective bargaining in comparative perspective can be analyzed with reference to two countries. Sweden The employment relations in Sweden have adversely been changed over the years. Sweden adopted industrialization later than most countries in Europe. At the beginning of the twentieth centaury Sweden was an agrarian country that was basically poor, with high levels of immigration. Sweden begun to expand its economic channels through industrialization as years went by. In the 1970’s and 1980’s the Economy in Sweden was characterized with a high rate of inflation. However after the development of modifications in economic policy in the 1970’s the rate of inflation fell and the level of employment rates rose by ten percent. The aspect of globalization played an important role in the transformation of Sweden in terms of collective bargaining through the formulation of harmonious patterns of employment relations. This emerged in the 1950’s and 1960s. Due to increased industrial development the Swedish employment sector expanded thus increasing the number of work force within the industrial sector. There was therefore a need for the establishment of a work force union which will handle the plight of workers. In the initial years, the right to bargain and organize collectively without legal basis was greatly contested by employers in Sweden. However due to the rise of the concept of globalization, which influenced international interaction and sharing of Ideas. The Swedish bargaining powers for workers begun to increase. By 1910 the notion of industrial unions had greatly expanded. In response to the development of the unions for the employees, the employers also developed of the Unions that would represent their needs (Creg 255). Korea Employment relations in Korea have exhibited characteristics of diverse changes over the years. Since the year 1987, the aspects of collective bargaining become an important aspect in the regulation of Industrial relations. Being industrial state, industrial disputes peaked in 1987 and was dominantly high in several years such as in 1989. Korean recession went up in 1989. During this period the working conditions of workers become very poor. Activists who tried to formulate unions were to solve problems facing employees were arrested, imprisoned and harassed. Although industrial strikes were few, they tended to be longer. Unions and employers were not as much inclined to lockouts or strikes as weapons or strategies for collective bargaining, they were rather considered as a last resort. The governments on the other hand become much stricter in requiring that the workplace required order and compliance as opposed to establishing procedures for demanding for progressive work condition improvement. Labour management councils were later established in an Act 1980 after workers begun to make increased joint efforts to advocate for employee rights. The LMC played the vital role of consulting with employees, educating the on their rights, organization of training programs and trying to improve employee welfare. Changes in labour negotiations have been complex for many years in Korea. Labour laws were however been improvised in 2007, this has resulted to a significant improvement in Korean union systems. It is important to state that the bargaining power of Korean trade unions has significantly been improved due to globalization, through the facilitating exchange of ideas and open ground s for discussion concerning the plight of employee. (Craig 320). Question 6 The recorded level of strike activities provides an effective measure of the significance of industrial conflict across different countries. The level of workers participation in decision making has been a great concern for many trade unions over the year. In many countries workers appear to have attained certain benefits as a result of participation in union movements. However the number of level of strike activities can be attributed to the level of industrial conflict in different countries. An empirical investigation has comparatively been conducted in various countries. The analysis has highlighted that the relationship between the structure of the bargaining power and strike activities have been attributed to advancement in industrial economies. Hibbs one of the industrial analysts highlights that workers within the decentralized systems are mainly characterized by a bargaining Level that is firm. The centralized systems on the other hand have a wide range of levels of bargaining, therefore in this particular system, there is an apparent negative relationship between strike activities and the level of centralization. When the investigation was extended, other considered factor apart from the structure of governs in organizations included real wages and profits, unemployment and significant statistical influence (Ron 95). The structure of bargaining power within the national level varies in different countries. In a comparative study that was very interesting, carried out to evaluate in the British and US steel industries. Explanations given to give detailed description of the historical development of this particular industry, was based on differences in Industrial relations that existed in the two countries. The US had longer periods of violence which influenced more industrial action as opposed to Britain which had fewer levels of strikes. However in both countries the aspect of collective bargaining was well formulated. The transformation of industries in the US resulted to a more competitive structure therefore requiring more work forces. In Britain the expansion of steel industries was much slower. In order to secure more effective control of the work force, more trade unions were formed in the U.S thus the level of strikes reduced. Consequently the method of collective bargaining was useful in controlling the competitive capitalism that was developing at the time (Ron 95). The differences that exist in the strength of trade unions influence the level of strikes certain countries. The behavior of trade unions, influences variations of bargaining power for workers in various countries. For instance in Sweden the pattern and development of collective bargaining is mostly contributed by consequence rather than the factors that cause change in the trade union organization. The aspect of enhancing union strength and transforming the power balance for the Swedish employers to transact with employees in a collective manner has influenced the reduction of the number of strike (Ron 98). The aspect of economic stability and development also influences the level of strikes in various countries. For instance in developing countries due to poor economic situations. The working conditions of many employees are usually very poor. In despite of the existence of trade unions, strikes are usually very frequent due to problems such as low wages and poor working conditions that are associated to poor economies. The negotiation power of trade unions in these particular countries is also very minimal thus resulting to increased mass action. Developed nations on the other hand do not experience much of such problems thus experience lesser strikes. Works Cited Ron Bean. Comparative industrial relations: an introduction to cross-national perspectives 2nd Edition .Cengage Learning EMEA, 1994. Greg Bamber, et al. International and comparative employment relations. New York: SAGE, 2004. Read More