Negotiating Flexibility: The Role of the Social Partners and the State - Softcover

International Labour Office. Labour Law And Labour Relations Branch

Softcover

ISBN 10: 9221108651 ISBN 13: 9789221108658

Publisher: Intl Labour Organisation, 1999

Synopsis

This timely volume discusses the extent to which the labor market is becoming more flexible in response to competitive pressures and examines the pivotal roles of collective bargaining in introducing this flexibility. Providing detailed information from 22 country studies, the book covers industrialized and developing nations across Western Europe, North and South America, and Asia. It analyzes the extent of flexibility introduced in these labor markets, as well as the changing role of the state in industrial relations, and the positions of employers and trade unions on labor market flexibility. This comprehensive study reviews the move toward flexibility in four principal areas: contracts of employment, pay, working time, and work organization. While closely examining the means of achieving greater labor market flexibility, this highly topical book addresses the various ways in which flexibility has been introduced, including through legislative action, collective bargaining, individual contracts of employment, and unilateral employer decisions. The findings in this book reveal that collective bargaining is the most effective means of introducing flexibility, as it engages both employers and workers in the process of change. In addition, the volume examines the outcomes of negotiations on flexibility at the central, sectoral, and enterprise levels, paying special attention to the trade-offs that arise, particularly in the areas of job security, working time, and workers' lifestyles.

About this title

About the Author:

Muneto Ozaki is Chief of the Labour Law and Labour Relations Branch of the International Labor Office.

Review:

"This study provides an international survey of increasing flexibility in labor markets, focusing on four key areas..." -- E. Owens, Western Washington University, CHOICE, February 2000

About this edition

• Publisher: Intl Labour Organisation
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 9221108651
• ISBN 13: 9789221108658
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 157
• Editor: Ozaki Muneto