Changing Employment Relations and Governance in the International Auto Industry
Author(s)
Kochan, Thomas A
Lansbury, Russell D
Date Issued
June 1996
Series/Report no.
Paper prepared for meeting of the IMVP, Sao Paulo, Brazil;
Abstract
In recent years, considerable debate has surrounded the issue of whether a fundamental
transformation of employment relations is underway in both the industrialised and
industrialising countries. Comparative studies at the national or macro-level of
employment relations have been conducted within both an OECD group of countries (see Locke et al 1995) and newly industrialising economies (see Verma et al 1995). To these have been added complementary studies at the industry-level: in steel, telecommunications, banking and automobile manufacturing. These studies have adopted a broader similar analytical framework that focus on five sets of employment practices or issues, as follows:
(1) the way work is organised
(2) the process of skills acquisition and development
(3) the structures and processes of pay and compensation
(4) staffing and employment security arrangements
(5) enterprise governance and labour-management relations issues.
The analytical framework adopted for these studies argues that employment practices are
shaped by features of the external environment and the choices of firms, unions and governments, as well as by the broader institutional context at the industry and firm
levels. The issue of enterprise governance occupies an ambiguous position in that it may
be viewed both as a feature of the external environment (especially where governments
have legislated for certain arrangements) as well as an element in employment relations
practice.
Subjects
auto industry
employment relations
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