Employee Relations: An International Journal

John Gennard

2009 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450910925274

Purpose – The purpose of this editorial is to review the significance of Roger Undy's book, Trade Union Merger Strategies: Purpose , Process and Performance , Oxford University Press, 2008. Design/methodology/approach – The editorial outlines and evaluates the arguments put forward by Dr Undy to explain why trade union mergers take place. It also evaluates the book's analysis of the politics of trade union mergers. Findings – As trade union membership has declined mergers have been prominent features in strategies of union revival. Yet, there is little empirical research into the effects of mergers on the unions actually merging or on their impact on the wider union movement. Dr Undy concludes that mergers do not provide a solution to the problem of falling membership and that transfers of engagements are often more successful than amalgamations. Originality/value – The editorial offers insights into the process, performance and effects of trade union mergers.

John R. Dobson

2009 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450910925283

Purpose – The paper seeks to investigate the effects of the 2004 Central and East European EU Enlargement on labour mobility. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on an analysis of recently available empirical evidence from the UK Labour Registration Scheme and EU comparative data based on administrative data and labour force surveys. Findings – Only Ireland, Austria and Germany had significant migration from CEE migration and none of these exceeded 2 per cent of the labour force. The imposition of a transitional arrangement had little effect on migration flows. CEE workers were predominantly young, had above average education and yet did not fill UK skills gaps, but filled labour shortages for low paid, unskilled work. Originality/value – This paper assesses the empirical evidence on labour mobility from Central and Eastern Europe, which is used to assess the current highly contentious debate.

Kim Mather; Les Worrall; Roger Seifert

2009 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450910925292

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to discuss how the so‐called “modernisation” agenda has triggered changes in the structure and management of the UK public sector. The concern of the paper is with how such changes have impacted on the labour process of lecturers in the English further education sector. Design/methodology/approach – A Bravermanian approach is adopted to examine aspects of change in the FE lecturer labour process. Empirical evidence is derived from three FE colleges and draws on data from semi‐structured interviews, a survey of lecturers and documentary evidence. Findings – Power relations have been radically reinvented in these colleges, with senior managers now able to redefine the parameters of lecturers' contractual obligations. These colleges were characterised by standardisation, routinisation and rules driven by senior managers who saw themselves as “change agents” and “modernisers”. Lecturers, on the other hand, felt that they had less power, job autonomy and task discretion. The labour process provides a valid explanatory framework for linking these observed changes in workplace relations to broader matters of political economy. Research limitations/implications – The research provides detailed insights into changes in FE lecturers' working experiences. However, the reliance on three colleges may place some limitations on the generalisability of these findings. Practical implications – FE lecturers are central to delivering on ministerial priorities around skills for work. The paper reveals that lecturers feel under‐valued, over‐worked and over‐managed. This raises questions as to the sustainability of current approaches to the management of FE lecturer labour. Originality/value – The FE sector continues to be under‐researched and the paper therefore provides a valuable contribution.

Orla Gough; Rod Hick

2009 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450910925300

Purpose – The paper aims to examine the role of an occupational pension in employees' psychological contracts, the degree to which such pensions influence decisions relating to employee recruitment and retention, and attitudes of managerial employees to the recent Employment Equality (Age) Regulations. Design/methodology/approach – Thirty‐six in‐depth interviews were conducted with managerial employees in order to examine the topics described above. Findings – It is found that the role of an occupational pension in employees' psychological contracts is related to age, and that they play a much greater role in the psychological contracts of older employees. The provision of an occupational pension was found to be more successful in promoting the retention rather than the recruitment of staff. The managerial employees interviewed were overwhelmingly supportive of the introduction of the recent Employment Equality (Age) Regulations, but some expressed scepticism that they would be implemented faithfully by their organisations. Research limitations/implications – Further research is needed to examine the impact of the widespread closure of defined benefit pension schemes on employment decisions. The small sample size used in this research means no claims can be made to external validity. Originality/value – The original features of the paper are that the authors apply the psychological contract framework in analysing the degree to which employees value their occupational pensions, employees themselves are interviewed rather than their employers in assessing the impact of an occupational pension on recruitment and retention, and the paper provides an early assessment to the recent introduction of age discrimination.

Geraint Harvey

2009 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450910925319

Purpose – This paper aims to evaluate the institutional complementarity thesis, which anticipates that the institutional context of the firm will have a considerable influence on the choice and success of employment relations strategies. Focusing on two liberal market economies, the paper presents analysis of secondary data from the US airline industry and primary data from UK civil aviation to assess the power of the institutional context on employment relations. Design/methodology/approach – Secondary data were drawn from trade journals, newspaper reports and other civil aviation information sources such as the Civil Aviation Authority database. Primary data collection involved interviews with airline management, officials at the British Air Line Pilots Association, and pilots. A large‐scale questionnaire survey of pilots was also conducted. Findings – In both liberal market economies airlines have adopted a range of employment relations strategies, which demonstrates the robustness of strategic management choice. Moreover, in both the UK and the USA, airlines with institutionally complementary employment relations strategies performed less well over a range of measures than their counterparts with employment relation strategies more closely aligned with coordinated market economies. Originality/value – The findings identify best practice in the management of people in the airline industry and build a business case for cooperating with employees and their trade unions.

Jeanette Lemmergaard

2009 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450910925328

Purpose – Replicating Ulrich's model, this study aims to investigate empirically the HR role performance of a case organisation. Despite the popularity of the model, both theoretical discussions and empirical research that build on the model are scarce. Design/methodology/approach – The present study investigates HR professionals' and line managers' perceptions of HR roles in a regional full‐service bank based on a combination of interviews and a questionnaire survey distributed to the HR executive and line managers. Findings – The case study evidence reported suggests that not only are all four roles strongly represented, they are also equally shared between the HR executive and line managers. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited by the usual problem of a wider application of findings provided by a small‐scale single‐case study. The generalisability of the findings would be improved by conducting more comparable cases within the field. Originality/value – HR professionals are struggling to make top executives and colleagues recognise the value of their operations and initiatives. It is therefore increasingly important to demonstrate the value of the HR function, and a first step towards demonstrating its value is to define and clarify the roles and role expectations of the HR function in the organisation. This study demonstrates how an organisation can get a clear picture of the roles that are performed or perceived as performed by the HR function by using Ulrich's relatively simple model, and thereby create a good basis for further discussion and clarification.

Marie Bailey

2009 Employee Relations: An International Journal

doi: 10.1108/01425450910925337

Purpose – This paper aims to analyse the effectiveness of European Works Councils (EWCs) as a mechanism of employee voice from the perspective of Hungarian workers in UK‐owned multinational companies (MNCs). In addition, it analyses the role of prevailing systems of employee voice in Hungary, such as trade unions and works councils, assessing their capacity to influence the work of the EWC. Design/methodology/approach – Using a qualitative approach, the data are drawn from three case studies and comprise a series of semi‐structured interviews, whilst observational and archival data provide additional information. Interview participants primarily consisted of EWC representatives from the UK and Hungary, together with a number of central and local managers and trade union officials. Findings – The data are presented using a five‐themed framework, devised to highlight a number of key themes and comparisons. Evidence suggests fundamental differences in the quality of EWCs, with some providing a better mechanism of voice than others. The level of consultation, managerial and employee attitudes, Eastern European working conditions, training and inadequate communication strategies form some of the major issues identified in the study. Furthermore, trade union involvement and the impact that local works councils have in general proved limited in enhancing the success of the EWC. Practical implications – The implications for improving the Hungarian voice within the EWC forum are discussed. Originality/value – The paper confirms existing issues surrounding EWCs, extending the existing field of literature and offering a unique insight into the impact of EWCs in Hungary.