Abstract
In this issue of Economic and Industrial Democracy, articles concerning job insecurity in various countries, the role of unions in the innovation process and in decision-making, as well as employer associations and climate change are included.
The first article in this issue, ‘Organizational change and psychosomatic symptoms: Exploring pathways through working conditions and assessing the moderating role of social support among European workers’, by Marine Coupaud, ESSCA School of Management, France, discusses how organizational change can have an impact on workers’ health. Using the European Working Conditions Survey, the author finds that social support moderates the health effects of job demands. The article also includes emotional labour in order to better understand the mechanisms in this respect.
The next article, ‘Self-initiated expatriates in menial jobs: Destructive psychological contracts in the hospitality sector’, by Johannes M Kraak, KEDGE Business School, Bordeaux, France, Yannick Griep, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Sweden, and Yochanan Altman, University of Haifa, Israel, and Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Austria, explores psychological contracts in the French hospitality sector. The authors find that although the employer disrupted the contract, which normally would end such a relationship by the employee, instead, the workers exhibited dysfunctional behaviour.
Mindy Shoss, University of Central Florida, USA, and Australian Catholic University, Australia, Anahí Van Hootegem, KU Leuven, Belgium, Eva Selenko, Loughborough University, UK, and Hans De Witte, KU Leuven, Belgium, and North-West University, South Africa, discuss job insecurity in the article ‘The job insecurity of others: On the role of perceived national job insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic’. The authors found that perceived national job insecurity mirrored a person’s view that job insecurity, i.e. another person’s job insecurity, was high at a national level, and thus relevant from the COVID reaction perspective.
The article ‘Do participation structures affect workers’ voice?’, by Kristin Alsos, Fafo Institute for Labour and Social Research, Norway, and Sissel C Trygstad, Fafo Institute for Labour and Social Research, Norway, uses a power resource perspective, in relation to the Nordic labour market model, to analyse how local representative union participation, formal or informal, can influence important decisions on the company level. The authors conclude there is a risk of undermining the union’s strength by using more informal ways.
In the article ‘Unions in society, unions in the state: New forms of irregular workers’ movements beyond the factory in South Korea’, by Cheol-Sung Lee, Sogang University, South Korea, and Hyung-Geun Yoo, Pusan National University, South Korea, new forms of non-standard labour politics are explored by the authors. They find that grassroots community activism is one example of such non-standard labour politics, with important implications in relation to the state, the companies and the unions. Thus, social movement unionism is emphasized by the authors.
Nicholas Litsardopoulos, Kingston University London, UK, George Saridakis, University of Kent, UK, Yannis Georgellis, University of Kent, UK, and Chris Hand, Kingston University London, UK, discuss the issue of self-employment in the article ‘Self-employment experience effects on well-being: A longitudinal study’. The authors find that it is important to investigate the well-being effects of being self-employed on a more detailed, longitudinal, level. They conclude that there are differences, depending on whether the earlier careers have been as self-employed, as wage-earners, or have been mixed careers. Also gender was found to play a role.
The article ‘Employer associations: Climate change, power and politics’, by Caleb Goods, University of Western Australia Business School, Management and Organisations, Crawley, Australia, and Bradon Ellem, The University of Sydney Business School, Australia, relates to the role of employer organizations in Australia. The authors found that in the area of climate change, the employer associations in Australia operated both in quiet and noisy ways, showing no signs of declining activity. The role of power resources was important in understanding the actions against climate change in Australia.
The article ‘Supervisor and customer incivility as moderators of the relationship between job insecurity and work engagement: Evidence from a new context’, by Fabian O Ugwu, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State, Nigeria, and TU Dortmund University, Germany, Ike E Onyishi, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Lawrence E Ugwu, Renaissance University, Ugbawka, Enugu, Nigeria, Jens Mazei, TU Dortmund University, Germany, Joy Ugwu, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State, Nigeria, Josephine M Uwouku, College of Education, Katsina-Ala, Benue State, Nigeria, and Kwasedoo M Ngbea, Benue State University, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria, investigates the interaction between job insecurity and work engagement. Through a study of minibus drivers in Nigeria, the authors found a positive relationship, but this relationship could be weakened by supervisor incivility.
Stephen Mustchin, University of Manchester, UK, and Miguel Martínez Lucio, University of Manchester, UK, explore labour inspection in the UK, in their article ‘The fragmenting occupation of labour inspection and the degradation of regulatory and enforcement work inside the British state’. The declining union presence in the UK makes labour inspections important in many dimensions, the authors argue. Further, both external as well as internal factors have shifted the conditions also for the regulatory body of labour inspection in the UK. Especially the role of austerity, as well as new working conditions, are increasing the degradation of enforcement work, the authors conclude.
The article ‘Qualitative job insecurity and extra-role behaviours: The moderating role of work motivation and perceived investment in employee development’, by Irina Nikolova, BI Norwegian Business School, Oslo, Norway, and Maastricht University, The Netherlands, Marjolein CJ Caniëls, Open Universiteit, The Netherlands, and Magnus Sverke, Stockholm University, Sweden, discusses job insecurity and work motivation. The authors especially examine the perceived investment in employee development from the perspective of job insecurity. The results suggest, according to the authors, that it is vital to reduce job insecurity and they stress the importance of employee development.
Samuel Klebaner, Université Paris 13, France, discusses trade unions and industrial policy in France in the article ‘Trade unions facing the French industrial policy: The emergence of a medical imaging filière’. The author investigates the role of a French union in persuading the state and investors to promote and invest in a new innovation centre. The case study, the author suggests, shows the difficulties facing the French union, and the importance of power dimensions in this process.
The last article in this issue, ‘Trade union influence on innovation in the British private sector: Direct and indirect paths’, by Wen Wang, University of Leicester, UK, Jason Heyes, Sheffield University, UK, and Roger Seifert, Keele University, UK, investigates the interaction between trade union representation and firms’ innovation activities. The authors find positive and significant correlations between union representation and new activities.