The Role Of Collective Bargaining In The Global Economy

‘. . . an extremely useful and thought-provoking book that should be on the reading list of anyone who seeks to understand the role of collective bargaining in the global economy today.’
– Satoshi Miyamura, The Indian Journal of Labour Economics

‘The book provides valuable insights into the manifold positive effects of collective bargaining in various national settings to promote the improvement of working conditions, the democratization of workplaces and stable and inclusive economic growth.’
– Vera Glassner, Transfer

‘Susan Hayter has put together a first-rate set of authors and chapters on the positive role collective bargaining and employee voice have to play in the global economy of the twenty-first century. Examples from numerous countries illustrate how negotiation and dialogue can lead to a win–win outcome of improved economic performance and enhanced equality and social justice.’
– Bruce Kaufman, Georgia State University, US

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.

The Role of Collective Bargaining in the Global Economy will prove essential for postgraduate students in industrial and labour relations, human resource management, economics and business studies, as well as industrial relations practitioners and researchers.

Contents:

Foreword

1. Introduction
Susan Hayter

2. Negotiating Employment Security: Innovations and Derogations
Steffen Lehndorff and Thomas Haipeter

3. Negotiating Working Time in Fragmented Labour Markets: Realizing the Promise of ‘Regulated Flexibility’
Sangheon Lee and Deirdre McCann

4. Bargaining for Training: Converging or Diverging Interests?
Jason Heyes and Helen Rainbird

5. Workplace Change and Productivity: Does Employee Voice Make a Difference?
Fathi Fakhfakh, Virginie Pérotin and Andrew Robinson

6. Mind the Gap: Collective Bargaining and Wage Inequality
Susan Hayter and Bradley Weinberg

7. Illustrating the Gap: Collective Bargaining and Income Distribution in Chile
Gerhard Reinecke and María Elena Valenzuela

8. Collective Bargaining in Transition: Measuring the Effects of Collective Voice in China
Chang Hee Lee and Mingwei Liu

9. The Economic Impact of Collective Bargaining Coverage
Franz Traxler and Bernd Brandl

10. New Roles for Unions and Collective Bargaining Post the Implosion of Wall Street Capitalism
Richard Freeman

11. Globalizing Industrial Relations: What Role for International Framework Agreements?
Konstantinos Papadakis

12. Conclusion
Susan Hayter

Index