Labor Relations in Europe: A History of Issues and Developments

The study of European labor relations has traditionally been divided between two major theoretical perspectives. Descriptive nation-studies and case studies of specific developments have dominated the European continent. In contrast, the Anglo-Saxon approach has been more explicitly comparative and theoretical in its orientation. As a consequence of their unique advantages and common disadvantage of a focus on national developments to the exclusion of general trends, Europe remains a patchwork of different nations with respect to labor relations.

Hans Slomp offers this book as an effort to complement this national perspective with a European view. He provides a general introduction to European labor relations, offering comparative material from a range of countries. Each chapter covers a specific period; the division into periods is based on important changes in economic and political conditions common to most of Europe. In accordance with the continental approach, attention is devoted not just to the form, but also to the content of labor relations. The survey covers the issues of labor relations as practiced by employers or employers' associations and trade unions rather than as an academic discipline. For the general reader, Slomp's work provides a much-needed survey of European labor relations. For the labor relations scholar, it facilitates the distinction between what is truly specific for one country and what is a variation from a European trend.