International Conference ADDRESSING QUALITY OF WORK IN EUROPE Sofia, Bulgaria October 2012

Panel session “Employee participation” 18 October, 2012 Trans-national dimensions of the capital and labour-changes in the workers’ representation Dr. Ekaterina Ribarova Institute for Social and Trade Union Research CITUB, Sofia

Main issues Trans-national capital and trans-national labour : what is happening to the industrial relations? Trans-national industrial relations –do they really exist ? New challenges to the industrial relations and to the workers’/ employees’ representation-European and global perspectives

Trans-national capital and trans-national labour : what is happening to the industrial relations Trans-national capital and trans-national labour caused changes in the work-place rights and industrial relations’ environment Framework documents: Documents of the UN( international treaties, Global compact) ILO conventions and declarations (tripartite declaration for the MNC-s) OECD guidelines for multinational companies Codes of conduct and international framework agreements Council of Europe charters

Trans-national capital and trans-national labour : what is happening to the industrial relations EU documents (sometimes covering also EEA countries) – treaties, charters and declarations, directives; European level framework agreements Main issues: –The freedoms of movement and the common economical rules in the EU are much more advanced then the common labour and social standards –The implementation of the common EU-labour standards and the common industrial relations’ policies is still running slow in most of the new EU- member states

Trans-national capital and trans-national labour : what is happening to the industrial relations Bulgaria : MNC-s invasion in 1990-s In 1990-s in most of the MNC-s’ subsidiaries there were higher then average labour standards and good environment for industrial relations and social dialogue Since the years : –more hard approach in the HRM began to be used in the MNC- s’ subsidiaries; –the flexibility at the enterprise/subsidiary level was increased; –some attempts for neglecting the trade union influence or/and at the enterprise/subsidiary level could be observed

Trans-national industrial relations –do they really exist ? What does it mean trans-national industrial relations : –Some methodological problems in the definition; some legal and practical issues –Better definition is “trans-national dimensions and processes/mechanisms of industrial relations” -The trans-national dimensions of industrial relations do exist, but the rules and institutions of their implementation haven’t been established yet -The main levels are : -trans-border (including two or more countries ) ; -European( including EU / EEA countries) ; -trans-continental or global (including countries from more then one continent or countries from all over the world)

Trans-national industrial relations –do they really exist ? Main problems in the theory and practice: The industrial relations are still rather national, then trans-national There are not exact legal definitions –differences in the definitions in various countries; –lack of the common legal framework at the EU –level The decrease of trade union and employers’ associations density provoked additional obstacles for the of establishment of legal framework and institutions of trans-national processes of industrial relations Some practical problems, produced by the various forms of workers’/employees’ representation at the enterprise/company level The industrial relations ‘ development in the MNC-s is too complicated, especially in the new EU member states The trends of the development of the European social dialogue’ are also too complicated and even some contradictions appear

Trans-national industrial relations –do they really exist ? Bulgaria: –In the MNC-subsidiaries the influence of the corporate culture of the company is important; –The industrial relations’ environment is usually better in the privatized enterprises, where trade unions have existed before the privatization, then in the new established enterprises –There are still problems in the integration of trade unions at the other forms of work-place representation (including the European works councils) –The participation of the social partners in the European social dialogue and other trans-national activities is either in the beginning, or is running too slow

New challenges to the industrial relations and the workers’ and employees’ representation-European and global perspectives New challenges The consequences of the crisis Some indications of decline of the welfare state in western Europe and other countries with free market economy “Domestic” challenges, caused both by trans-national and national reasons (demographic trends, technology, restructuring,social policies ) Diversification of work-force interests and appearance of many new groups of workers/employees Problems in the co-ordination of national and transnational activities of the social partners and their legislative regulation

New challenges to the industrial relations and the workers’ and employees’ representation-European and global perspectives Responses of the social partners and governments: Attitudes and aspirations for re-nationalization Some employers try to use the lower local standards or the trans- national standards (as far as they exist) for social dumping Trade unions often resist to change and try to keep the old model; Various interests of the workers/ employees and employers sometimes could not be really represented via old structures and mechanisms, which provokes inside contradictions and conflicts Some steps for change and establishment of new institutions and mechanisms have been made, but many other efforts are necessary

In conclusion There is a need for change in the model of industrial relations and workers/ employees’ representation, or at least in some of their features. The policies, structures and mechanisms should be much more related to the new structures of interests and more open to trans-nationalization of the labour and capital