Hard times in latte land? Analysing pay and working time in the café industry in France, Norway and the UK

Abstract

Industrial relations and employment regulation are central elements of the national institutional framework shaping country-level differences in job quality. However, researchers are also interested in within-country variation by sector. International sector comparisons can shed light on the role of national institutions, individual employer approaches and workplace unions in shaping outcomes within a sector. This article uses qualitative data on pay and working time in the café industry in France, Norway and the UK to weigh the effects of institutions and employer differentiation on worker outcomes in a sector particularly challenging for union organisation. The findings identify the importance of national institutions for worker outcomes, and for shaping the scope at organisational level for employers and unions to make a difference.

Deregulation and institutional conversion in the Greek hotel industry: an employment relations model in transition

“…In line with previous studies of the hospitality industry (hotels and cafes), the differences we found were not the result of product market strategies but were mainly related to union presence (Lloyd et al, ; Lloyd and Payne, ), though seasonality also played a role. The mix of factors exacerbated existing divisions within the workforce, so workers were more dependent on their own contractual status and the presence of unions to be able to resist the tsunami of deregulation and derogation.…”

“…This helps to explain why workers in non‐union and seasonal upper market hotels were faring worse than their counterparts in unionised and all‐year‐round hotels in Athens. As found in other studies (Lloyd et al, ; Lloyd and Payne, ) we did not observe any significant impact of product market strategies on wages and working conditions, with most differences related to workplace union presence, labour market position and workers' contractual status.…”

“…Although collective action was not absent, with unions still organising occasional strikes, conditions were better mainly in hotels with an active union presence. The Greek hotel industry now resembles that of other countries where the improvement of working conditions and wages relies almost entirely on the presence and density of workplace unions (Bernhardt et al, ; Hirsch et al, ; Lloyd and Payne, ; Vanselow et al, ).…”

“…Although an NMW has been perceived as a positive step establishing a wage floor for the hotel industry in countries such as France, the Netherlands and the UK (Vanselow et al, , 298), in Greece the NMW reduced the wage floor set by the sector agreement. This finding suggests that Greek governments' deregulatory legislative programme has enabled employers to reduce labour costs and achieve greater flexibility: so governments' role on minimum wages in Greece is not perceived as positively as in some other countries (such as in Warhurst et al, ; Lloyd and Payne, ).…”

Anything goes? Exploring the limits of employment law in UK hospitality and catering

“…Hospitality jobs are typically low paid, at or just above the minimum wage and are considered low skilled. There are very few barriers to entry into the sector, likewise to exit, and many workers consider it an easy way to earn money while studying, or until they decide what else they want to do, or as a stop gap until they find other, better employment (Lloyd & Payne, 2018). While employed in the sector, it is customary for workers to change employers frequently.…”