Bedrijvenwerk en werkplaatsonderhandelingen. Valt er iets te leren van de Britse ervaringen?

Samenvatting

Within a nationwide centralized industrial relations system, trends will occur toward forms of decentralized workplace bargaining. Recent trends within the Dutch trade unions to revive shop floor organization are discussed. There is a growing tension between this form of organization & the existing industry-based negotiating system. The latter is judged too rigid to effectively coordinate growing shop floor activity. A short overview is given of the British system of workplace industrial relations, particularly the dominant forms of bargaining on the shop floor. The principle of a relatively independent shop stewards organization is discussed as an introduction to an analysis of management's & workers' bargaining positions. Also discussed are Goodman & Whittingham's (Shop Stewards, London: Pan, 1973) nine factors that explain the considerable growth of workplace bargaining in Britain since the war. Each factor is discussed in its relevance for the Dutch situation. Although the negotiating systems in both countries differ widely, five or six of the factors are at work in Holland as well. Goodman & Whittingham's nine factors mainly work to stimulate the growth of an already existing workplace bargaining system, far less to bring about its birth. The tradition of postwar industrial relations in Holland is a strong force to resist the take-off of trends towards decentralized bargaining. These trends will occur because of the growth of trade union organization on the shop floor & its continuing frustration with the impotence of West-European type joint-consultation as its only means to confront management. AA.