The public sector is the sole remaining sector in which trade unions Essay

The public sector is the sole remaining sector in which trade unions have influence in the employment relationship. Discuss th - Essay Example Industrial relations have varied throughout the ages and differ in terms of concepts and implementation. Based on statistics presented by the Federation of European Employers, membership in the trade unions in Western parts of Europe declined over the last 20 years. Out of 27 members in the European Union, very few nations have more than half of their labor force in the trade unions. In fact, even the most populated states have only a moderate number of their population having membership. Italy has 30%, Germany has 29% and France has 9% of their respective populations having union membership. The reasons will be discussed in the middle portion of this analytical paper (Federation of European Employers, 2010). Ferner and Hyman (1998) have argued that â€Å"Europe developed certain unique features in their industrial selections during the end of nineteenth and twentieth century, and majority of them have remained in force till the present time. One of the major responsibilities of the employer’s association and the trade unions by sector or trade is collective bargaining and are coordinated by the confederations. Bargaining at the company levels came much later and has been growing, but still remains under the guidance of the federations. A distinction has been presented between collective bargaining, which mostly deals with working hours and wages, and participation of the wage earners which includes the working conditions, welfare, and also adaptation of the broader collective agreement (Ferner & Hyman, 1998). â€Å"Rapid industrialization has been going on in the industrial relations in Europe. Even during the process of integration, industrial relations and national politics will remain important in areas of social regulations of employment and work in Europe. The reason is that the European integration has evolved as the process of liberalization of the economy over the decades and this has happened through the international methods of opening up of the national economies through negotiated expansions of markets which remain beyond the national borders. Industrial relations therefore have always been governed by regulations and rules although to varying extent. This is not just the outcome of contracts but also of the status rules imposing obligations and rights and on the contracting parties, such that they cannot modify them even by mutual agreements (Wolfgang, 1998). Marshall’s views on industrial relevance bear relevance in this context. According to Marshall’s theory the social rights remain awarded according to the citizenship status rather than on the principle of classes or needs. His claim was that the extension of the social rights is not entailed by destroying social classes or inequality. Mundlak says that even though Marshall’s views of the industrial citizenship are on the decline, there are other labour-market institutions which bridge the gap between citizenship and the labour rights. These are workplace democracies, assuming the workers’ consistency in the organisation; and corporate citizenships which are used to entrust