Work and Employment in Europe: A New Convergence? (Routledge Studies in the European Economy, 2)

Europe's work force is subject to a dual convergence process from the trans-national spread of new management practices and from the political force of the European union. Trade union rights, hours of work, working practices and training provisions are all being subjected to these twin pressures. Work and Employment in Europe assesses both the convergent and divergent developments taking place at both pan-European and cross-national levels. BOOK COVER......Page 1 HALF-TITLE......Page 2 TITLE......Page 4 COPYRIGHT......Page 5 CONTENTS......Page 6 ILLUSTRATIONS......Page 8 CONTRIBUTORS......Page 9 INTRODUCTION......Page 10 WHAT ARE THE FORCES FOR CONVERGENCE?......Page 12 ‘THE EUROPEAN STATE’: A NEW FORCE FOR CONVERGENCE?......Page 16 A EUROPEAN SYSTEM OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS?......Page 20 ARE ENTERPRISE AND INDUSTRIAL PRACTICES CONVERGING?......Page 24 CAN SOCIAL POLICIES REDUCE SPECIFIC LABOUR MARKET VARIATIONS?......Page 28 ARE THE LATE ENTRANTS CATCHING UP OR LEVELLING DOWN?......Page 30 CONCLUSION......Page 32 REFERENCES......Page 34 INTRODUCTION......Page 37 CONCEIVING THE FUTURE OF EUROPE BY REFERENCE TO HISTORY......Page 39 Old wine—new bottles: defining the actors......Page 42 Societal analysis, societal effects......Page 43 CONCLUSION: TOWARDS A NEW CONVERGENCE OR A NEW SOCIETAL EFFECT?......Page 45 REFERENCES......Page 48 INTRODUCTION......Page 50 Monetary union and collective bargaining......Page 52 The subsidiarity principle......Page 54 Subsidiarity and regional industrial relations systems......Page 55 Wage formation dimension......Page 57 The institutional dimension......Page 61 TWO-SPEED EUROPE AND IRISH LABOUR MARKET GOVERNANCE......Page 63 THE MINIMALIST SCENARIO: AUGMENTED INTERGOVERNMENTALISM AND THE SYMBIOTIC EFFECT......Page 65 The social clauses of the Maastricht Treaty......Page 66 Controversies over the social clauses......Page 67 THE SOCIAL CLAUSES AND IRISH LABOUR LAW......Page 69 The social partners in Ireland and EC social policy......Page 72 CONCLUSIONS......Page 74 REFERENCES......Page 75 INTRODUCTION......Page 78 EUROPEAN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS......Page 79 The European company......Page 80 INTERNATIONALISATION OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS......Page 84 SOCIAL DIALOGUE......Page 87 THE SOCIAL CHAPTER......Page 88 EUROPEAN-LEVEL CONSULTATIVE ARRANGEMENTS......Page 89 EUROPEAN-LEVEL COMPANY COUNCILS......Page 90 The new Directive......Page 94 Sector discussions......Page 96 CONCLUSION......Page 97 REFERENCES......Page 99 4 EURO-UNIONISM AND THE GREAT AUCTION......Page 101 THE DIMENSIONS OF THE ‘SOCIAL’ IN EUROPE......Page 103 Political and economic objectives......Page 105 The content of policy......Page 108 TAKING PARTNERS......Page 110 UNICE......Page 114 THE CHALLENGE FROM INTERNATIONAL CAPITAL......Page 116 THE POWER WITHIN?......Page 119 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......Page 123 NOTES......Page 124 REFERENCES......Page 125 INTRODUCTION......Page 130 THE EFFECTS OF INTERNATIONALISATION ON THE TEXTILE AND CLOTHING INDUSTRIES......Page 131 Recent international trends......Page 132 European strategies in textiles and clothing......Page 133 Como: success through industrial cohesion......Page 137 Lyon: strength through specialisation......Page 138 Leicester: the dangers of an old formula......Page 140 Characteristics of the total sample......Page 141 Strategies of fast-growth firms......Page 144 POLICY IMPLICATIONS......Page 146 CONCLUSIONS......Page 148 REFERENCES......Page 149 6 NEW PRODUCTION CONCEPTS IN GERMANY AND ITALY......Page 152 GERMAN INDUSTRY IN THE 1980s: THE EMERGENCE AND DIFFUSION OF NEW PRODUCTION CONCEPTS......Page 153 The tertiary, services, sector......Page 155 THE ITALIAN SITUATION......Page 156 Different industrial relations......Page 161 Different vocational training institutions......Page 163 Differences in regional diversity......Page 164 CONCLUSION: TOWARDS MUTUAL CONVERGENCE?......Page 165 REFERENCES......Page 166 7 PATTERNS OF WORKING HOURS IN LARGE-SCALE GROCERY RETAILING IN BRITAIN AND FRANCE......Page 167 SIMILARITIES IN PATTERNS OF WORKING HOURS IN FOOD RETAILING IN BRITAIN AND FRANCE......Page 168 Levels of part-time work......Page 170 Work-time flexibility and policy......Page 173 CONVERGENCE IN PATTERNS OF WORKING HOURS POST-1992?......Page 177 The effect of European Community instruments......Page 178 THE EFFECT OF CHANGES IN BUSINESS PRACTICES ON FOOD RETAILING......Page 187 CONCLUSION......Page 189 NOTES......Page 190 REFERENCES......Page 193 INTRODUCTION......Page 198 LOCAL CONTEXTS......Page 199 Vocational education at college......Page 200 General prevocational education (BGJ)......Page 201 Special schemes......Page 202 Links to the dual system......Page 203 Marginalisation processes within the dual system......Page 205 Education......Page 207 Youth Training Scheme (YTS)......Page 208 Employment......Page 210 Prospects for progression......Page 211 ANGLO-GERMAN COMPARISONS......Page 213 CONCLUSIONS......Page 215 REFERENCES......Page 216 INTRODUCTION......Page 219 STATE AND LABOUR RELATIONS......Page 220 LABOUR MARKET AND EMPLOYMENT......Page 222 Possible sources of unemployment for the future?......Page 223 SKILLS AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING......Page 225 WAGES AND WAGE DETERMINATION......Page 228 The new model of wage determination......Page 229 BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS AND POLICIES......Page 231 THE NEW PERIOD OF TRANSFORMATION......Page 233 NOTES......Page 236 INTRODUCTION......Page 237 EU integration strategy: from a ‘common’ to a ‘single’ market......Page 238 1992: from pressures for convergence to divergent outcomes?......Page 239 Social policy: a market corrective or a marketing ploy?......Page 243 Social dialogue, the Social Charter and its action programme......Page 244 Finland: an economic and political profile......Page 248 EFTA, the EEA and the EU: integration choices and implications......Page 253 CONCLUSION: LABOUR MARKET SYSTEMS AND LABOUR MARKET REGULATION AFTER MAASTRICHT......Page 255 REFERENCES......Page 258 INDEX......Page 264 Europe's Workforce Is Subject To A Dual Convergence Process: From The Transnational Spread Of New Management Practices And From The Political Force Of European Union. Trade Union Rights, Hours Of Work, Working Practices And Training Provisions Are All Being Subjected To These Twin Pressures. Work And Employment In Europe Assesses Both The Convergent And Divergent Developments Taking Place At Both Pan-european And Cross-national Levels. Comparisons Of British And French Retailing, German And Italian Manufacturing Jobs, German And British Youth Training Schemes, And Small Business Strategies Of Britain, France And Italy Show Simultaneous Elements Of Convergence And National Specificity. The Nordic Area States And Hungary, Both Still On The Ec's Periphery, Demonstrate The Continuing Strength Of National Institutions And Traditions In Countries Seeking Eventual Inclusion In The Ec. The Detailed Evidence From These Cases Provides Original Evidence, Indicating Fragmentary Convergence And Complex Interactions Between The Political, Economic And Socio-institutional Forces Of Convergence. Work And Employment In Europe Provides Useful Theories And Source Materials For Students And Researchers Of Industrial Change, European Studies, Industrial Relations And The Sociology Of Work And Employment.--book Jacket. Introduction -- 'europeanisation': Motor Or Mirage For Employment Systems? / Bryn Jones And Peter Cressey -- 1. Convergence And/or Societal Effect For The Europe Of The Future? / Marc Maurice -- 2. Maastricht And The Governance Of Labour Markets: The Case Of Ireland / Paul Teague -- 3. The Future Of Employee Relations Within European Enterprises / Kevin P. O'kelly -- 4. Euro-unionism And The Great Auction: An Assessment Of The Prospects For The European Labour Movement Post-maastricht / Harvie Ramsay -- 5. Commonalities And Divergences In Small-firm Competitive Strategies: Textiles And Clothing Manufacture In Britain, France And Italy / Anna Bull, Joseph Szarka And Martyn Pitt -- 6. New Production Concepts In Germany And Italy / Horst Kern And Angelo Pichierri -- 7. Patterns Of Working Hours In Large-scale Grocery Retailing In Britain And France -- Convergence After European Union? / Abigail Gregory -- 8. How Young People Are Marginalised In English And German Labour Markets / Alan Brown And Martina Behrens -- 9. Hungary's Employment System On The Way To A Market Economy -- In 1990 And Afterwards / Lajos Hethy -- 10. Workers' Rights And European Integration: An External View From The Nordic Area / Michael A. Mcdaid. Edited By Peter Cressey And Bryn Jones. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Europe's work force is subject to a dual convergence process: from the transnational spread of new management practices and from the political force of European union. Trade union rights, hours of work, working practices and training provisions are all being subjected to these twin pressures. Work and Employment in Europe assesses both the convergent and divergent developments taking place at both pan-European and cross-national levels. Comparisons of British and French retailing, German and Italian manufacturing jobs, German and British youth training schemes, and small business strategies of Britain, France and Italy show simultaneous elements of convergence and national specifity. The projected political and economic integration within the EC and the extension of markets into the ex-communist economies suggest a new process of Europeanisation of distinct national societies.