Collective bargaining and equality: Making connections

Blackett, Adelle; Sheppard, Colleen

doi:10.1111/j.1564-913x.2003.tb00539.x

Cited by 25 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 27 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Thus, the problem is structural rather than individual in nature, since studies show that women's desire to become unionised is as strong as that of men (Forrest 2001, p. 649). It is also linked to the ability of union organisations to reflect the new identities which are emerging in the labour market and to foster women's participation and involvement in unions (Lévesque et al 1998, Forrest 2001, Blackett and Sheppard 2003. Thus, collective bargaining, like public policy statutes aimed at protecting all unionised and non-unionised employees, 62 do not succeed in rectifying the unfavourable situation of women in the labour market.…”

Section: Unionisation As a Response To The Precariousness Of Female Wmentioning

confidence: 96%

Beyond Formal Equality: Closing the Gender Gap in a Changing Labour Market – A Study of Legislative Solutions Adopted in Canada

Bernstein

Dupuis

Vallée

2009

The Journal of Legislative Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article looks at the position of women in the Canadian labour market and at the legislative measures adopted to address their segregation in terms of occupation, wages and working conditions. Federal and provincial legislators have, with relative success, attempted through a series of measures to respond directly to the issue of discrimination against women in the workplace and in the labour market. They have, however, remained relatively insensitive to other factors that make the situation of working women precarious, such as the rise of 'non-standard' work. These inequalities are not peculiar to Canada and legislative responses to these questions vary according to specific national realities and legal traditions. A study of the legislative evolution in Canada serves to illustrate some of the challenges faced to redress this gender gap.

show abstract

Section: Unionisation As a Response To The Precariousness Of Female Wmentioning

confidence: 96%

Beyond Formal Equality: Closing the Gender Gap in a Changing Labour Market – A Study of Legislative Solutions Adopted in Canada

Bernstein

Dupuis

Vallée

2009

The Journal of Legislative Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Collective bargaining structures and mechanisms provide ready-made policing and enforcement mechanisms, whilst because they are representative (in contrast to top-down legislative intervention), they allow women a voice, "an ability to define their own needs and concerns and to set their own priorities for action". Blackett and Sheppard (2003) similarly conclude that collective bargaining -"whose rationale is deeply rooted in notions of social justice, egalitarianism, democratic participation and freedom" -has potential to promote equality (p. 421). Briskin (2006, pp.…”

Section: Equity Bargainingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The changing face of employment relations: equality and diversity

Moore

Tailby

2015

Employee Relations

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to explore what has happened to the notion and reality of equal pay over the past 50 years, a period in which women have become the majority of trade union members in the UK. It does so in the context of record employment levels based upon women's increased labour market participation albeit reflecting their continued over-representation in parttime employment, locating the narrowed but persistent overall gender pay gap in the broader picture of pay inequality in the UK. Design/methodology/approach -The paper considers voluntary and legal responses to inequality and the move away from voluntary solutions in the changed environment for unions. Following others it discusses the potential for collective bargaining to be harnessed to equality in work, a potential only partially realised by unions in a period in which their capacity to sustain collective bargaining was weakened. It looks at the introduction of a statutory route to collective bargaining in 2000, the National Minimum Wage from 1999 and at the Equality Act 2010 as legislative solutions to inequality and in terms of radical and liberal models of equality. Findings -The paper suggests that fuller employment based upon women's increased labour market activity have not delivered an upward pressure on wages and has underpinned rather than closed pay gaps and social divisions. Legal measures have been limited in the extent to which they have secured equal pay and wider social equality, whilst state support for collective solutions to equality has waned. Its replacement by a statutory minimum wage initially closed pay gaps, but appears to have run out of steam as employers accommodate minimum hourly rates through the reorganisation of working time. Social implications -The paper suggests that statutory minima or even voluntary campaigns to lift hourly wage rates may cut across and even supersede wider existing collective bargaining agreements and as such they can reinforce the attack on collective bargaining structures, supporting arguments that this can reduce representation over pay, but also over a range of other issues at work (Ewing and Hendy, 2013), including equality. Originality/value -There are then limitations on a liberal model which is confined to promoting equality at an organisational level in a public sector subject to wider market forces. The fragmentation of bargaining and representation that has resulted will continue if the proposed dismantling of public services goes ahead and its impact upon equality is already suggested in the widening of the gender pay gap in the public sector in 2015.

show abstract

“…In addition, there has been some debate concerning the joint representation of temporary and permanent workers. In collective bargaining, the unions feel the tension between representing the interests of the majority-the full-time, permanent workforce-and the rights of the minority (Blackett and Sheppard, 2003). According to Blackett and Sheppard (2003), the transition towards individualized, insecure jobs is the crucial issue for collective bargaining and minority rights.…”

Section: The Union Dilemma: Equal Employment Protection Versus Protecmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In collective bargaining, the unions feel the tension between representing the interests of the majority-the full-time, permanent workforce-and the rights of the minority (Blackett and Sheppard, 2003). According to Blackett and Sheppard (2003), the transition towards individualized, insecure jobs is the crucial issue for collective bargaining and minority rights. The insecure and short-term character of temporary employment is one cause of the low level of unionization among temporary employees.…”

Section: The Union Dilemma: Equal Employment Protection Versus Protecmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Institutional Perspective on the Employment Position of Temporary Workers in the Netherlands

Jong

Schalk

Goessling

2007

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article analyzes the complex employment position of temporary workers within organizations and on the labour market. Temporary employment is usually considered secondary to permanent employment. In recent years, the European Union and the Dutch government have attempted to change this situation by formulating several directives and labour laws. In this paper, we use institutional theory to discuss the institutional foundations and influences that shape the employment and labour-market conditions of temporary workers. The analysis shows that the core issues regarding temporary employment conditions include conflicting (legitimate) interests, socially constructed norms that favour permanent workers, and an uneven distribution of power. Our analysis further shows that institutional forces generate a structural justification for the disadvantaged position of temporary workers.Cet essai se veut une analyse de la situation d’emploi des travailleurs temporaires au sein des organisations et du marché du travail. Aux Pays-Bas, le travail temporaire s’est taillé une part considérable du marché du travail et près de quinze pourcent de tous les travailleurs hollandais occupent des emplois temporaires (par exemple, des emplois contractuels à durée déterminée et des emplois temporaires de sous-traitance). Cependant, l’emploi temporaire est considéré comme secondaire en regard de l’emploi permanent. Les conclusions de nos études qui comparent les travailleurs temporaires aux travailleurs permanents démontrent que les travailleurs temporaires gagnent des salaires plus faibles, ont accès à moins d’occasions de formation et reçoivent des avantages d’emploi moins nombreux que ceux qui ont des postes permanents. L’association de l’emploi secondaire au travail à court terme donne lieu à une sous-évaluation structurelle de l’emploi temporaire, quand on le place en regard de la norme de l’emploi permanent.Dans cet essai, nous analysons les intérêts, les normes et le pouvoir des acteurs qui ont un rôle à jouer dans le domaine de l’emploi temporaire : les gouvernements, les syndicats, les entreprises d’embauche et les employés. La question principale de l’étude consiste à se demander comment des influences institutionnelles, formelles ou informelles, façonnent les conditions de travail et du marché du travail dans le domaine de l’emploi temporaire aux Pays-Bas.La croissance des agences de travail temporaire et la manière dont l’emploi temporaire est devenu accessible par une adaptation des règles et des normes fournissent une illustration du processus par lequel le travail temporaire s’institutionnalise dans son rôle à titre d’emploi secondaire. Récemment, les droits fondamentaux des travailleurs temporaires sont devenus un enjeu principal dans les conflits du travail et les débats. En 1999, la Commission européenne a passé la résolution 70/CE, en complétant par le fait même la législation spéciale sur l’équité de traitement des travailleurs engagés pour une durée déterminée. Aux Pays-Bas, une loi s’appuyant sur la résolution de la ...

show abstract

Collective bargaining and equality: Making connections

Cited by 25 publications

References 27 publications

Beyond Formal Equality: Closing the Gender Gap in a Changing Labour Market – A Study of Legislative Solutions Adopted in Canada

Beyond Formal Equality: Closing the Gender Gap in a Changing Labour Market – A Study of Legislative Solutions Adopted in Canada

The changing face of employment relations: equality and diversity

An Institutional Perspective on the Employment Position of Temporary Workers in the Netherlands

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About