Industrial Relations in Japan: The Peripheral Sector (Nissan Institute Routledge Japanese Studies Series)

the Conventional Picture Of Industry And Industrial Relations In Japan Is Of A Number Of Very Large Firms Providing Extremely Attractive Working Conditions For Their Happy And Contented Workforce. Norma Chalmers Shows That There Is In Fact Another, Very Different Side To The Picture, Which Occurs In The The Peripheral Sector. Here, Conditions Are Often Poor, Wages Very Low And Continuity Of Employment Virtually Non-existent. There Are Many Small Firms Where The Effectiveness Of Worker Organisation And Bargaining Declines As The Firm's Size And Proximity To The Industrial Centre Decrease. Moreover, As Chalmers Shows, The Peripheral Sector Is Very Large, And The Conventional Picture Of The Model Workforce Should Probably Be Confined To A Few Flagship Companies. The Book Argues That The Model Nature Of The Large Firms May Stem In Part From The Fact That They Are Able To Off-load Problems Onto Smaller Firms Who Produce The Components Necessary For The Large Firm Sector At Disadvantageous Subcontract Terms. Book Cover......Page 1 Half Title......Page 2 Series Title......Page 3 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Contents......Page 7 Figures......Page 8 Tables......Page 9 Introduction......Page 12 1. Perspectives of Industrial Relations in Japan: In Search of the Peripheral Workforce......Page 17 2. Japans Peripheral Workers: A Profile of the Small and Medium Sector......Page 42 3. Japans Peripheral Workers: A Profile of Non-Regular Labour......Page 64 4. Japans Sub-Contract Workers and Contract Labour......Page 87 5. Case Studies......Page 108 6. Japans Peripheral Workers: Unionization and Organization......Page 132 7. Communication and Conflict......Page 149 Conclusion......Page 179 Appendices......Page 188 Bibliography......Page 198 Acknowledgements......Page 207 Index......Page 208