International Conference ADDRESSING QUALITY OF WORK IN EUROPE

1. International Conference ADDRESSING QUALITY OF WORK IN EUROPE Sofia, Bulgaria 18-18 October 2012

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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 2000-2002 : • 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

7. 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)

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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