Abstract
The articles in this issue discuss the role of ownership, workplace partnerships, the changing nature of unions and work content, to name a few.
The first article in this issue, by Ian Clark, Nottingham Trent University, UK, ‘Containing, embracing and hyper-activating Britishness: British-based foreign-owned firms’, discusses the role of British-based foreign-owned firms in the context of the capitalism of today in the UK. The author emphasizes the dynamics and importance of ownership structures. Further, ownership can be an important driver of change in this context according to the author. The implications of such firms in terms of ownership effects are discussed in the concluding part of the article.
The second article, ‘Does workplace partnership deliver mutual gains at work?’, by George Saridakis, Kingston University, UK, Yanqing Lai, Edinburgh Napier University, UK, and Stewart Johnstone, Newcastle University, UK, investigates the outcomes of workplace partnership in the UK. The authors argue that direct HR communication between workers and employers might be beneficial for both actors in the workplace (no unions involved). However, they also point out that some practices may not be beneficial in this respect. In the concluding part, the authors highlight the role of employee voice, task-based communication and direct employee participation.
The third article, ‘Labour market segmentation and mobility as determinants of trade union membership: A study from Denmark’, by Carsten Strøby Jensen, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, highlights the interaction between labour market segmentation and labour market mobility in relation to trade union density, using Danish registry data on nearly 2 million employees. The results show, according to the author, that the level of segmentation and mobility interacts with union density. The highest effects were observed in the private sector.
The article ‘Voice through exit: Changing working conditions by independent contractors’ participation’, by Caroline Ruiner, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany, Maximiliane Wilkesmann, TU Dortmund University, Germany, and Birgit Apitzsch, Sociological Research Institute (SOFI) Göttingen, Germany, discusses the implications of using physicians in German hospitals as independent contractors. By using the exit, voice and loyalty model, the authors conclude that the physicians gain a more autonomous position, through the mechanism of voice and exit.
The article ‘Austerity HRM practices, work deterioration and possible recovery policies: A cross-European survey in the airport workplace’, by Elen Paraskevi Paraschi, University of Patras, Greece, and Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority, and Antonios Georgopoulos, University of Patras, Greece, investigates the austerity HRM practices after the economic crisis in 2008. The authors find that factors such as work flexibility, increased workload as well as workplace discrimination are correlated with work deterioration. The results differ between various airports, depending on the level of the economic crisis.
Johan E Ravn, Nord University, Norway, and Lisbeth Øyum, SINTEF, Trondheim, Norway, discuss new forms of Norwegian unionism in the article ‘Towards “multi-collar” unionism: Cases of trespassing professionals in Norwegian industrial relations’. The authors highlight how traditional blue-collar work within the blue-collar unions moves towards white-collar unions due to changing work. The authors conclude that cross-union collaborations are important to acknowledge in this respect.
The article ‘How to retain motivated employees in their jobs?’, by Ludivine Martin, LISER – Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research, Luxembourg and CREM, Rennes/France, discusses the interaction between ICT and HRM practices in relation to the motivation of the employees. By studying a random sample of employees in the private sector in Europe, the author shows that there is stronger motivation if the employees participate in the workplace. This has important implications in relation to job-search efforts.
The article ‘Changing employment dynamics within the creative city: Exploring the role of “ordinary people” within the changing city landscape’, by Tom Baum, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK, discusses the working life of the service sector in creative cities. The precarious nature of the working life in this sector is of special relevance in the article. The findings suggest, according to the author, that it is important to include low skilled labour in the analysis of labour markets in creative cities.
In the final article in this issue ‘Advancing gender equality in the construction sector through public procurement: Making effective use of responsive regulation’, by Tessa Wright, Queen Mary University of London, UK, and Hazel Conley, University of the West of England, UK, the authors argue that labour market segregation in the construction sector is a major obstacle to gender equality. They argue that reflexive legislation is important in this respect, and point to public procurement as a potentially powerful tool.