It cannot be denied that in recent decades, for many if not most people, work has become unstable and insecure, with serious risk and few benefits for workers. As this reality spills over into political and social life, it is crucial to interrogate the transformations affecting employment relations, shape research agendas, and influence the policies of national and international institutions. This single volume brings together thirty-nine scholars (both academics and experienced industrial relations actors) in the fields of employment relations and labour law in a forthright discussion of new approaches, theories, and methods aimed at ameliorating the world of work. Focusing on why and how work is changing, how collective actors deal with it, and the future of work from different disciplinary angles and at an international level, the contributors describe and analyse such issues and topics as the following: new forms of social protection and representation; differences in the power relations of workers and political dynamics; balancing protection of workers’ dignity and promotion of productivity; intersection of information technology and workplace regulation; how the gig economy undermines legal protections; role of professional and trade associations; workplace conflict management; lay judges in labour courts; undeclared work in the informal sector of the labour market; work incapacity and disability; (in)coherence of the work-related case law of the European Court of Justice; and business restructurings. Derived from a major conference held in Leuven in September 2018, the book offers an in-depth understanding of the changing world of work, its main transformations, and the challenges posed to classical employment relations theories and methods as well as to labour law. With its wide range of insights, analysis, and reflection, this unique contribution to the study of industrial relations offers an authoritative reference guide to scholars, policymakers, trade unions and business associations, human resources professionals, and practitioners who need to deal with the future of work challenges.

Over the last fifty years in the United States, unions have been in deep decline, while income and wealth inequality have grown. In this timely work, editors Richard Bales and Charlotte Garden - with a roster of thirty-five leading labor scholars - analyze these trends and show how they are linked. Designed to appeal to those being introduced to the field as well as experts seeking new insights, this book demonstrates how federal labor law is failing today's workers and disempowering unions; how union jobs pay better than nonunion jobs and help to increase the wages of even nonunion workers; and how, when union jobs vanish, the wage premium also vanishes. At the same time, the book offers a range of solutions, from the radical, such as a complete overhaul of federal labor law, to the incremental, including reforms that could be undertaken by federal agencies on their own.

Several major transformations have characterized the world of work in recent years. Those transformations follow different patterns in different countries, yet their dynamics are so interrelated that it is often hard, if not impossible, to distinguish the causal relationships among them. Technological advances, globalization, old and new media, demographic changes, and new production and economic systems are all key factors acting on this ongoing transformation which is impacting both the world of work and society as a whole. In the spirit of Karl Polanyi, the well-known scholar who described the rise of market-based societies, we are led to wonder if we are witnessing a new “Great Transformation of Work”, on such a scale that it might change the very meaning of work in our society, and even its anthropological connotations. Accordingly, this volume investigates and discusses the different aspects of this transformation from a comparative perspective. In order to propose better solutions to cope with these changes, it is necessary to analyze their ongoing dynamics. Lawmakers, unions, scholars and practitioners are all called to do their part in order to achieve the goals of sustainability and fairness of our economic systems.

This book presents a broad-ranging survey of contemporary writing about work and employment. It identifies three broad traditions of research and commentary on work - the unitary perspective, the pluralist perspective and the critical perspective - and describes the contemporary output of these traditions; i.e. it surveys current research and argument found within these traditions. The book also surveys debate between these traditions, and the second part of the book presents a detailed account of debate over four current issues. These issues are employee participation, customer culture, equality and diversity and the impact of the global financial crisis. The source material for the book comes from the UK, USA and other countries and the arguments contained within it have international relevance. The book provides an overview of recent work on the employment relationship and the debate and controversy that can be seen in this area of study. Framing Work will be of interest to academics researching and writing about employment and to advanced students in Industrial Relations, Human Resource Management, Organization Studies, and Sociology.

The book aims to help students develop their knowledge of industrial and employee relations as a real-world subject and the effects of globalisation on labour relations. Globalisation has inadvertently led to some negative results such as a reduction in jobs in some countries and a result increase in global competition and low wages. In the past three decades, labour unions declined after the concentration of economic globalisation, empowerment of employers' associations, and the high demand for skilled labour. Consequently, Trade unions are put in a crisis and may face a rather dismal future throughout the 21st century. Globalisation beckoned the end of business as usual by the labour movement. One of the management subjects that has received public importance over time is the subject of industrial relations. The subject has widespread request since all employees are affected by some aspect of industrial relations, no matter what it takes, for most of their working lives. Equally, Employee Relations is a term that has emerged in recent years and is often used to draw attention to a particular area of the subject. In the past, you found the term 'Industrial Relations' in more common use. The question could be if, there are any forthright differences attached to the meanings and practices of these two terms (Industrial Relations and Employee Relations) form part of the discussion in this book. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Hassan Elsan Mansaray is currently the Head of Department - Human Resource and Management department, at the Faculty of Business Administration and Entrepreneurship Development - IPAM, USL. He lectures Human Resources and Employment at the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM) - University of Sierra Leone. Hassan Elsan received his M.A. in Development Studies with a specialization in Human Resources and Employment at the Institute of Social Studies (ISS), The Hague, the Netherlands, and his B.A. in Education and Linguistics at Njala University College (NUC) - University of Sierra Leone. He was Head of Department of the Department of Business Administration and Entrepreneurship Development (2016 - July 2018), Head of Human Capital Management at United Bank for Africa (UBA Sierra Leone) (2008 - Jan. 2011), Secretary-General - Sierra Leone Health Services Workers' Union (SLEHSWU) (1998 - August 2002) and former Chairman of the Education Board of the Sierra Leone Labour Congress (SLLC) (1999 - August 2002