Improving the quality of low-wage work: The current American
experience
Paul OSTERMAN
Despite the recent strength of the United States job market, about one fifth of the
private-sector workforce is in poor-quality employment, earning poverty-level wages
or less, with scant prospects for improvement. Against this background, the article
focuses on demand-side policies, aimed at influencing firms’ decision-making in the
direction of better quality employment. Describing and evaluating a variety of programmes
pursued to that end, the author argues for more policy coherence and a balanced
approach combining training and economic development programmes working
directly with employers, on the one hand, and increased unionization and better wage
and working-time standards, on the other.
KEYWORDS: LOW WAGES, WORKING POOR, LIVING WAGE, JOB DESIGN, CAREER
DEVELOPMENT, VOCATIONAL TRAINING, USA.
The state of worker protections in the United States: Unregulated work
in New York City
Annette BERNHARDT, Siobhán MCGRATH
and James DEFILIPPIS
types of non-compliance with labour law in New York City. Workplace violations –
or “unregulated work” – are widespread across a range of low-wage industries and
have been driven by a mix of economic factors as well as public policy. The solution,
the authors argue, is to strengthen law enforcement and provide for the new types
of employment relationships that have resulted from changes in the organization of
work and production.
KEYWORDS: LABOUR RELATIONS, WORKING CONDITIONS, CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT,
WORKERS’ RIGHTS, LABOUR STANDARDS, LABOUR LEGISLATION, APPLICATION, USA.
Monitoring quality in work: European Employment Strategy indicators
and beyond
Lucie DAVOINE, Christine ERHEL
and Mathilde GUERGOAT-LARIVIERE
Within the framework of the European Employment Strategy, the European Union
has defined a set of indicators to monitor employment quality – the so-called Laeken
indicators. This article discusses and implements these indicators. From a theoretical
perspective, it shows that the concept of work quality encompasses several dimensions,
which are likely to be related to national institutions, particularly industrial
relations and welfare systems. It then proceeds with a comparative analysis of quality
in work across the 27 Member States, which confirms the existence of several
models in Europe and suggests that the Laeken indicators should be supplemented
by additional measures.
KEYWORDS:QUALITY OF WORKING LIFE, JOB SATISFACTION, MEASUREMENT, EU COUNTRIES.
Promoting sustainable compliance: Styles of labour inspection
and compliance outcomes in Brazil
Roberto PIRES
Can workers’ rights and social protections be reconciled with firms’ competitiveness
and productivity? In contrast to current development policy advice, which emphasizes
the “flexibilization” of labour laws, this article contributes to an ongoing debate
about styles of inspection by exploring the causal links between different regulatory
practices and economic development and compliance outcomes. Findings from subnational
comparisons in Brazil challenge established theories about the behaviours
of firms and regulatory agencies, and indicate that labour inspectors have been able
to promote sustainable compliance (legal and technical solutions linking up
workers’ rights with firms’ performance) by combining punitive and pedagogical
inspection practices.
KEYWORDS: LABOUR INSPECTION, WORKERS’ RIGHTS, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY,
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH, LABOUR PRODUCTIVITY, LABOUR LAW, APPLICATION, BRAZIL.
Tripartite consultation in China: A first step towards collective
bargaining?
Jie SHEN and John BENSON
Tripartite consultation has become widely established in China and is often referred
to as “collective bargaining” by the Government and the All-China Federation of
Trade Unions. This article reviews its development and structure, and examines its
role in dispute settlement, labour regulation and collective bargaining. China’s tripartite
consultation system is found to differ from that advocated by the ILO due to
its lack of neutrality and independent workers’ representation, poor legal enforcement
of consultation outcomes, and restricted responsibilities. Notwithstanding
these major deficiencies, the authors conclude, tripartite consultation is a first step
towards more genuine collective bargaining.
KEYWORDS:TRIPARTISM, COLLECTIVE BARGAINING, LABOUR DISPUTE, CHINA.
KEYWORDS: LABOUR INSPECTION, WORKERS’ RIGHTS, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY,
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH, LABOUR PRODUCTIVITY, LABOUR LAW, APPLICATION, BRAZIL.
Offshore employment practices: An empirical analysis of routines, wages
and labour turnover
Kurt LOESS, Van V. MILLER
and David YOSKOWITZ
have a significant influence on employee turnover in offshore manufacturing sites.
This influence is explored and examined empirically with a stratified, random
sample of northern Mexican maquilas – the historical choice for offshoring in that
country and one of the world’s earliest and most enduring offshore manufacturing
sites. Statistical tests reveal the strong influence on production-level turnover of
direct wages and human capital formation when the latter variable is measured in
terms of “maquiladora generations”. The distinctive human resource practices of
the maquiladora generations are then presented and discussed.
KEYWORDS:EXPORT PROCESSING ZONE, WAGES, LABOUR TURNOVER, MEXICO.
Notes, debates and communications
The social impact of policies to address climate change:
A review of the issues, by Raymond TORRES.
Job search, labour market intermediaries and employment promotion:
The evidence from China, by Xiangquan ZENG and Yuxue CUI.
Book reviews
Gender equality and welfare politics in Scandinavia: The limits of political
ambition?,edited by Kari Melby, Anna-Birte Ravn and Christina Carlsson
Wetterberg. Reviewed by Hedva SARFATI
Informality: Exit and exclusion, by Guillermo Perry, William F. Maloney,
Omar Arias, Pablo Fajnzylber, Andrew D. Mason and Jaime Saavedra-
Chanduvi. Reviewed by Ívico AHUMADA LOBO.
