Implementing global framework agreements
The Limits of Social Partnership
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4746945 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michael Fichter (Global Labour University Programme Germany Matterhornstrasse 87 14129 Berlin Germany, corresponding author), Jamie K Mccallum (Middlebury College Department of Sociology and Anthropology 14 Old Chapel Rd Middlebury VT 05753 USA) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue | s1 |
| Publication date | 2015-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Global Networks (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1470-2266 • E-ISSN: 1471-0374 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/glob.12088 |
| OpenAlex | W2147267629 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 11 |
| References cited | 23 |
Global framework agreements, negotiated between representatives of transnational corporations and trade unions, are a form of private regulation of labour relations on a global scale. Conceived and promoted by the global union federations, their numbers have increased considerably over the past two decades. However, as empirical research has shown, their record of implementation has been poor. We attribute this to them having been negotiated within the limits of a labour-management relationship based on 'social partnership'. This highly institutionalized setting of dialogue contrasts markedly with the widespread incidence of contested labour relations in subsidiaries of transnational corporations and in particular throughout their global production networks. Yet, workers and their unions at such sites, where global framework agreements are most needed, have mostly not been involved in their negotiation. Instead of relying on 'social partnership', we argue for unions to embrace a 'conflict partnership' approach, one that recognizes and addresses the tension between dialogue and conflict in labour relations. To highlight our arguments, we present two contrasting case studies from the service sector
Civil society · Economic system · Economics · General partnership · International trade · Multinational corporation · Negotiation · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Social dialogue · Sociology · Subsidiary · Trade union · Global trade, sustainability, and social impact · International Labor and Employment Law · Labor Movements and Unions · Law · Industrial Relations
The effectiveness of international framework agreements as a tool for the protection of workers' rights
Understanding global union repertoires of action
The political economy of state governance in global production networks
Glocalising Union Organising
Two forms of transnational organizing
From words to action? How procedural norms contribute to building transnational labour relations via global framework agreements
Unionization at Volkswagen in Chattanooga
Translating European Labor Relations Practices to the United States Through Global Framework Agreements? German and Swedish Multinationals Compared
Contested Understandings in the Global Garment Industry after Rana Plaza
Trade union pedagogy and cross-border action
Corporate social responsibility
Political Contestation in Global Production Networks
Trade Unions and the Politics of the European Social Model
Rollerball and the spirit of capitalism
Global unions global business
Labour and Globalisation
Bottom Feeders
The legitimacy of private transnational governance
Outsourcing War
Does Outsourcing Reduce Wages in the Low-Wage Service Occupations? Evidence from Janitors and Guards
Working-Class Power, Capitalist-Class Interests, and Class Compromise
| Unique citing works | 11 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,1 |
| Citation span | 2016 - 2026 (11) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 11 |