Employee Relations: An International Journal

Thomas Klikauer; Richard Morris

2002 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450210416906

While Germany’s employment relations are commonly seen as a high value added trust relationship built around the well publicised “new production concepts”, this paper aims to show that there is also another side to Germany’s ER. Using a detailed case study of the shipping industry, the authors show how the implementation of the International Ship Register during the late 1980s and 1990s challenged Germany’s traditional system of employment relations and regulatory framework. The authors conclude that evidence from the shipping industry illustrates a strong departure from Germany’s long‐established employment relations, where deregulation of shipping and labour law has led to the adoption of a “low road” approach.

Jan Kees Looise; Michiel Drucker

2002 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450210416915

The internationalisation of enterprises is expected to undermine national systems of employee representation. This paper assesses the extent to which this expectation can be confirmed. Using a survey of Dutch works councils, we compare national, Dutch multinational and foreign multinational firms. Using another survey, we then assess the role of European works councils within Dutch MNEs. The results of the first survey show that the influence of works councils in multinational firms, especially with respect to strategic policy, but also, to a lesser extent, regarding organisational and personnel issues is decreasing. From the second survey, we learn that European works councils have so far not compensated for this decrease in influence. We conclude that the undermining of employee representation at the national level can only be counteracted by a combination of further regulations at the European level, a change in (top) management attitudes in European MNEs and the close co‐operation of employee representatives within the respective countries and at the different levels.

Edward L. Zammit; Saviour Rizzo

2002 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450210416924

Trade union members, on the basis of their work experiences and aspirations, tend to develop an implicit paradigm within which they expect their trade union to function. The survey conducted by the Workers’ Participation Development Centre (WPDC) of the University of Malta reveals how trade unions are perceived by their members thus attempting to decode this paradigm. The data emanating from this survey suggest that solidarity rather than viewed as an intrinsic value is seen as a means for attaining instrumental values. Yet, despite the growing heterogeneity of trade union constituents there is still a significant group of workers who uphold the traditional and ideal vision of trade unionism. The survey suggests that, while undergoing renewal trade unions should hold on to the principles of workers’ representation upon which they were founded. Nevertheless the changes taking place in the labour market also require that new recruitment initiatives be undertaken. Failing this, the trade union movement may end up representing merely a “labour aristocracy” rather than a wide section of contemporary workforce.

Peter J. Kidger

2002 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450210416933

A study of the impact of globalisation on the structure and management of multinational enterprises, based upon research into twenty‐four manufacturing MNEs. Three research questions, developed from the literature, were used as the basis for an investigation into structure, control, knowledge transfer and culture in MNEs. The results confirm that there is a widespread move towards global integration, and that this is accompanied by changes in the relationships between managers from corporate and country units, and a tendency to encourage the development of best management practices across national boundaries.

John Simmons

2002 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450210416942

Effective performance management of professionals in knowledge based organisations has particular significance, but is an under researched area in the literature. Universities and colleges are knowledge based organisations especially dependent on the expertise, commitment and innovation of their staff. The paper analyses performance appraisal systems in universities and colleges with particular emphasis on staff perspectives and expectations. A brief history of performance appraisal in HE and FE is provided and related to issues of power, accountability and control. Academic staff from two business schools, together with a national sample of those teaching performance appraisal within CIPD professional programmes, were constituted as an “expert witness” group and their views sought on performance appraisal in their institutions. These data are used to develop a philosophy of performance appraisal for academic institutions, to assess the acceptability of particular performance criteria to academic staff, and to highlight the importance of staff involvement in appraisal system design.