The Changing Face of Industrial Relations: New Borders, New Frontiers
Call for papers now open – until 3rd February 2017, click here to submit
an abstract
http://www.buira.org/home
The theme of British Universities Industrial Relations Association
(BUIRA) conference in 2017 is the Changing Face of Industrial Relations:
New Borders, New Frontiers. The conference will take place a little over
a year after a referendum which resulted in a narrow vote in favour of
the UK leaving the European Union (EU). Therefore it will provide an
ideal opportunity for participants not only to explore and discuss the
future of industrial relations in the UK outside of the EU, but also to
consider the portents for industrial relations in Europe and around the
world in general. New borders may be springing up, and existing borders
hardening, but the frontiers of industrial relations continue to be
pushed back, and extended, in some notable ways.
Linked to the rise of right-wing populist politics in many parts of
Europe, borders between countries have hardened. To what extent, and in
what ways, is it now appropriate to contemplate the implications of
further European disintegration for industrial relations, rather than
integration? 2017 marks the tenth anniversary of the financial crisis.
How far has industrial relations been transformed in Europe under
conditions of austerity? To what extent do the ‘European social model’
and the EU’s ‘social dimension’ offer an alternative to a neo-liberal
paradigm that has been responsible for a dearth of high quality jobs?
To a large extent, the UK vote to leave the EU reflected discontent
about stagnant living standards, growing labour commodification, and the
adverse consequences of austerity, which many people, influenced by a
partisan media, blamed on EU migration. We have seen the rise of
irregular working arrangements (including zero-hour contracts),
precarious employment, and bogus self-employment, often associated with
the rise of the ‘gig economy’. Yet unions and civil society
organizations have made considerable efforts to represent, organize and
mobilize workers at the sharp end of labour market change. Workers in
the ‘gig economy’ are prepared to challenge employers, often in
resourceful and imaginative ways, highlighting the continued relevance
of labour conflict. What are the prospects for re-regulating industrial
relations, and how does re-regulation manifest itself? In the UK,
Theresa May’s government has talked about doing more to reduce
inequality, putting workers’ representatives on company boards, and
tackling abusive working practices.
Yet this coexists with the recently enacted Trade Union Act 2016 which
imposes significant additional restrictions on unions. What, then, is
the significance of governmental efforts to re-regulate relations? What
are the main trends in respect of multi-level regulation? What is the
future of supranational regulation in a clearly ailing EU? And how can
we better understand global labour governance arrangements?
In discussing questions like these, participants at BUIRA 2017 will play
a key part in exploring the changing face of industrial relations. The
frontiers of industrial relations as a field of study continue to
expand, providing crucial insights into work, employment, and employment
relations in twenty-first century societies. We look forward to
receiving submissions that reflect this. Although we welcome papers that
concern any area of industrial relations, papers concerning topics under
the following three headings will be particularly welcome:
The changing face of industrial relations: a decade of austerity - the
crisis and industrial relations in Europe, 2007-17; public sector
industrial relations in a time of austerity; managing industrial
relations in a financialized, market economy; ‘commodified’ labour –
irregular work, precarious employment and bogus self-employment; the
changing nature of work and employment; jobs, skills and the quality of
work in the low-pay economy; the impact of the National Living Wage;
social class, equality and diversity in industrial relations.
New borders in industrial relations: the prospects of European
(dis)integration for industrial relations; the politics of the European
social model; labour mobility and migrant workers; re-regulating
industrial relations – at national, sub-national and supra-national
level; devolved government and industrial relations; global labour
governance arrangements; the activities of labour movements across
national borders
New frontiers in industrial relations: digitalization and digital labour
– implications for work, workers, and societies; working, managing and
organizing in the ‘gig economy’; new, neglected and emerging actors in
employment relations; new and emerging manifestations of labour conflict.
Empirical (both quantitative and qualitative), analytical, conceptual
and methodological papers are all welcome. We would particularly
appreciate submissions from early career researchers and doctoral students.
Submission details
NB you need to be a member of BUIRA to present at the conference.
Abstracts of papers should be submitted via the BUIRA website via this
link. http://www.buira.org/admin/submissions/create
Deadline for submission of abstracts: 3rd February 2017.
Abstracts are refereed anonymously by BUIRA Executive Committee members.
Decisions will be notified by late March 2017.
--
Professor Jane Holgate
Professor of Work and Employment Relations
Work and Employment Relations Division
Leeds University Business School
31 Lyddon Terrace (room 2.05)
University of Leeds LS2 9JT
email: [log in to unmask]
Mobile: 07960 798399
|