Professional Documents
Culture Documents
On International IR
On International IR
Comparative Industrial
Relations
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Board Representation
German law mandates employee representation on supervisory boards
The number of representatives varies by the size of the firm and
industry, with special provisions for coal and steel industries
German firms have a two-tiered board structure
- The supervisory board is the higher ranked board
It has the responsibility to control managerial performance and
appoint top managers
- The lower managing board runs the firm on a day-to-day basis
- Employee representatives to the supervisory board are elected
proportionately from the blue and white collar workforce
The law reserves two or three seats for unions
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Work Councils
Work councils are the second major component of the
German codetermination structure
Mandated by law for private firms with five or more
employees
Work councils have rights to information, consultation, and
codetermination
The law requires negotiation with work councils for major
operational changes
Works councilors are elected by all employees in a firm
regardless of union affiliation
Works councilors cannot call a strike, but can sue
management in case of a breach of contractual rights
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Enterprise Unionism
- The distinguishing feature of Japanese industrial relations is the
central role of enterprise unions
- They represent both white and blue collar employees regardless of
occupation and include management staff
- Only high level managers do not belong
- New employees automatically become union members and pay
dues through a dues check-off system
Union and Employer Federations
- Enterprise unions are commonly associated with federations, which
are affiliated with confederations
- Employers commonly belong to counterpart federations
- Bargaining is between the enterprise union and management of the
firm, but some industry level bargaining does occur
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Multinational Unionism
- The European Union (EU) and the North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA) are examples of efforts to increase trade
- NAFTA took effect in 1994, and removes tariffs and trade
barriers among the U.S., Mexico, and Canada over a 15-year
period
NAFTA is criticized by labor unions, claiming Mexicos low
wages cause U.S. job loss
NAFTA includes Transitional Adjustment Assistance to train
workers who lose jobs
In 2005, the U.S. Department of Labor certified $165 million
for NAFTA-TAA worker benefits
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Summary
- There are substantial differences in industrial relations in
the industrialized countries
In the U.S., collective bargaining is highly decentralized;
written contracts and grievance procedures are important
In Germany, codetermination provides workers with parallel
representation from unions and work councils
In Japan, enterprise unions are dominant and represent both
white and blue collar workers
- Disputes are settled and information exchanged through
a variety of consultative procedures
- Annual bonuses are an important part of compensation
- There is now a trend to decentralization