Mike Rigby

Trade union interventions in work-life balance

Work-life balance has received increasing attention during the last decade but successful action to help employees to manage their work and non-work lives has been slow to develop and there has been a failure to translate policies into take-up. Trade union intervention might be expected to help resolve these problems but evidence on their role has been limited. The current research, based on empirical data derived from interviews with union representatives, considers the union role in the retailing and media sectors, examining their definition of and engagement with work-life balance issues and intervention strategies. It locates their approach against current discussions of the national discourse on work-life balance and trade union strategy. Although in both sectors trade union engagement with work-life balance was evident, differences could be traced to the impact of structural variables. In neither case did work-life balance, as defined by respondents, represent a common interest area with employers.

Spanish trade unions and the provision of continuous training

The paper examines the role of trade unions in the provision of continuous training. It first reviews the literature in this area and then considers evidence from a study of trade union involvement in the Spanish national training system managed by the social partners. The study finds that union involvement has led to improved training access for workers in SMEs in large part because of the union role as training provider and has contributed to social dialogue at sectoral and national level but has had a limited impact upon training in larger enterprises. The paper argues that an enterprise‐based social partnership model built around an independent union agenda for training has limited relevance for SMEs and that a more realistic approach is the development of sectoral social dialogue, “partnership at a distance”, capable of delivering outcomes which can be translated to the point of production.

The provision of human resources and employment advice to small and medium-sized enterprises: The role of small and medium-sized practices of accountants

Small and medium-sized practices (SMPs) are often identified as a main provider of human resources and employment advice to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), but little is known about the nature of this involvement. This article explores this gap in knowledge. It examines the type of support provided and resources used by SMPs and how this support role sits alongside core SMP competencies. Nineteen interviews were carried out. The study found an emphasis upon employment procedures and contracts in the support given. The support offered and the resources used were related to the size of SMP. The trust established during the provision of traditional accountancy services was the main reason that SMEs approached their accountant in search of human resources and employment support. The article provides an important insight into understanding how SMEs are supported in this area and indicates several areas where further research is required.

The Work–Life Balance Strategies of USDAW: Mobilising Collective Voice

This article examines the articulation of member voice on work–life balance by USDAW at political, corporate and workplace levels. Despite eliciting favourable institutional responses at a political and corporate level, the necessary union role in policing and facilitating agreements at workplace level emphasises the interdependence of partnership and organising.

Union responses in electronics: a globalised environment

This article examines union responses to a hostile environment in the electronics sector in four European countries. All unions saw the need for change, but those with the greatest need to develop strategic responses were not those which were in the best position to do so.

International Briefing 34: Training and Development in Spain.

© 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd This article locates training and development in Spain within the countrys socio-economic context. It maps the major changes which have been introduced into the training and development system since the briefing by Escardibul and Llinas-Audet published in this journal in 2010. It relates those changes to the ongoing economic crisis which began in 2009 and the growing emphasis on employers’ demands in the design of the training system. Finally, it identifies the challenges presented to Spanish policy-makers by a number of weaknesses in the current system. The Spanish experience is particularly relevant for countries in which social partner involvement and a significant small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) presence are important issues in the development of their training system. It is also particularly useful for those countries in Latin America whose training systems have been influenced by the Spanish model.

Institutional resources as a source of trade union power in Southern Europe

Institutional resources are one of the sources of power available to trade unions, but recent literature has tended to pay less attention to these than to associational and organizational resources. We examine institutional resources in three Southern European countries, Greece, Portugal and Spain, which share many common characteristics. However, the character of institutional resources in Spanish industrial relations is distinctive. We examine the plasticity of industrial relations institutions in Spain in terms of labour market outcomes but argue that institutional security is an essential platform for unions seeking to develop other sources of power.

The development of extra-judicial systems of collective conflict resolution in Southern Europe: Understanding the Spanish system

There has been an increasing tendency to promote systems of extra-judicial intervention in resolving collective conflicts in Southern European countries. However, it seems that it has been difficult for these initiatives to displace traditional judicial avenues of settlement. We consider various efforts to promote extra-judicial settlement, and identify the greater success enjoyed by the Spanish system of settlement in providing an alternative to labour courts. Explanatory factors include its distinctive design features, social partner unity and deficiencies in the judicial system. Spanish experience suggests a need to reassess assumptions about the obstacles to extra-judicial collective conflict resolution in Southern Europe.

Trade union responses to a changing environment

The article reports a study of trade union strategies in four sectors (Electronics, Food Manufacturing, Banking, and Central Administration) in five countries (Denmark, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom). The data suggests a higher degree of convergence across sectors and countries than expected from a discussion of the literature. However, there are variations which are explained by reference to both sectoral and cultural variables. The union strategies identified are consistent with models identified in the literature in emphasising a more collaborative approach to employer relations, and a balance between industrial and political activities, but in other respects there are important differences.