R. Pedersini

Economic crisis and the politics of public service employment relations in Italy and France

This article analyses the impact of government austerity measures on the working conditions of public employees and public sector employment relations in Italy and France. The timing and severity of these measures have differed, given the different conditions of public finances in the two countries. The impact on employment levels, wages, working conditions and pensions has generally been more pronounced in Italy than in France. The reform of public sector employment relations institutions predated the economic crisis; in Italy the aim was to limit union prerogatives and the scope of collective bargaining, in France to strengthen social dialogue institutions. But in both cases the ultimate government power to determine terms and conditions of employment unilaterally has been clearly reaffirmed.

Social dialogue and recession in the automotive sector

An estimated 14 million workers across Europe rely on the automotive sector for work. When the current economic downturn began to affect vehicle production, profound changes were already underway in the sector, triggered by the emergence of new markets and the search for lower production and labour costs. This report seeks to illuminate the effects of recession and restructuring on social dialogue within the automotive sector in eight EU countries. The information collected during this study seems to suggest that – so far – employment levels have been cushioned against the effects of the economic downturn by a combination of public schemes to cope with short-time decreases in demand. Good industrial relations have provided important input to adjustment strategies, complementing and enhancing the protection offered by legal frameworks.

La flessibilità numerica nei settori privato e pubblico fra strategia e contingenza

L’articolo confronta le modalita di utilizzo dei principali contratti di lavoro flessibile (a termine, di somministrazione e di collaborazione) in due casi concreti appartenenti al settore privato ed al settore pubblico, al fine di indagare le diverse logiche di ricorso al lavoro non-standard in contesti differenti. La prima parte del saggio presenta una breve rassegna dei principali tentativi di definizione dei diversi tipi di flessibilita del lavoro ed illustra il dibattito sugli effetti della flessibilita del lavoro sull’adattabilita delle organizzazioni e sulle condizioni di vita e di lavoro di lavoratrici e lavoratori. Nella seconda parte del saggio sono descritte due esperienze concrete: per quanto riguarda il settore privato, si tratta di Abb Italia, un’impresa di grandi dimensioni che opera nel settore elettro-meccanico; per il settore pubblico, viene presentato il caso di un ente locale, la Provincia di Milano. Le conclusioni riprendono alcuni degli aspetti piu rilevanti di questi casi e, piu in generale, sottolineano i risultati dell’analisi complessiva dei dati e delle informazioni raccolte nel corso della ricerca empirica.

European industrial relations between old and new trends

The article contributes to the analysis of the transformation of industrial relations in Europe by presenting an analysis of long-term trends and by testing the presence and endurance of clusters of industrial relations systems in Europe, on the basis of some basic quantitative and qualitative indicators. The objective is two-fold: the first section illustrates the general trends, rather than the differences across countries, in Europe as a whole, and in EU15 and Norway as opposed to EU12; the second section addresses the question of whether these trends have been accompanied by the blurring of boundaries between different «models», or established arrangements. A further objective is the identification of changes in the association of individual countries with the underlying cluster structure, in the 1960-2012 period. The analyses confirm the clear distinction between EU15 and Norway on one side and EU12 on the other. In the first group of countries, there are signs of long-term changes in industrial relations indicators, with the decline of union density, the decentralisation of the bargaining structure and the diffusion end broadening of opening clauses. However, bargaining coverage and coordination remain rather stable. In EU12, with few exceptions, the picture and the tendencies indicate a marginal role of industrial relations since shortly after the start of the transition phase (low union density and bargaining coverage, decentralised and fragmented bargaining structures). Industrial relations and collective bargaining involve a minority of employees and cover only quite limited parts of the employment system. The cluster analysis suggests that the structure of the various configurations of industrial relations in Europe is rather stable and tends to aggregate around four clusters (Nordic, Continental, Southern European, Disorganised). But there are also signs of a general downgrading of the role of industrial relations. The compression on the lower end of the spectrum in increasing and the traditional core of European industrial relations, the continental cluster, is moving downwards. Industrial relations in this particular juncture seem more fragile and vulnerable to economic and political processes, and overall less autonomous from policy-makers. The condition of ever-weaker actors and relatively stable structures and institutions does not appear to be sustainable in the long run.

Quale flexicurity? Studi e politiche su flessibilità e sicurezza nel lavoro

Which Flexicurity? Research and policies on work flexibility and security - The paper presents the origins and transformation of the concept of flexicurity and stresses the problems with the implementation of the flexicurity model adopted by the European Union. He then proposes some research lines to make it more apt to guide labour market reform. Keywords: labour market policies, work flexibility, flexicurity, industrial relations, Europe, social research