11 Workplace Democracy: Representation and Participation Gaps in the Norwegian Labour Market Model

Alsos, Kristin; Trygstad, Sissel C.

doi:10.1515/9783110634082-012

Cited by 6 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…A key explanation is the weakness of union organisation, partly reflecting workers' lack of 'structural power' (Wright, 2000), given jobs have minimal entry and training requirements and new recruits are relatively easy to find. In Norway, despite a supportive institutional context with significant union power resources at national level, HK confronts sizeable 'representation and participation gaps' (Alsos & Trygstad, 2018). Low union membership and lack of proactive reps makes it difficult to compel employers to engage over technology in accordance with regulations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the shift by supermarket employers to Virke now requires individual stores to have a union rep and 10% union membership for the agreement to be applied. The Basic Agreement and the Work Environment Act require employers to consult with workers’ representatives on changes affecting the workforce including technology, and for workplace reps and managers to meet at least monthly (Alsos & Trygstad, 2018). The Work Environment Act and the Personal Data Act also place restrictions on the use of technologies to monitor and control workers.…”

Section: Grocery Retailing In the United Kingdom And Norwaymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We might, therefore, expect unions in Norway to have a stronger role in shaping technology outcomes, even in retail. Alsos and Trygstad (2018, p. 249), however, suggest that the putative Norwegian model of joint workplace decision‐making, forged historically within manufacturing, has few equivalents in retail, where the situation may ‘have more in common with other European workers in the same industries.’ Research has yet to examine this claim empirically or to consider its analytical implications.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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‘They tell us after they've decided things’: A cross‐country analysis of unions and digitalisation in retail

Payne

Lloyd

Jose

2022

Industrial Relations Journal

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The role of trade unions in the social shaping of digital technologies is a vital question for research, public policy and social justice. This article draws on interviews with two unions in the grocery retail sector in the United Kingdom and Norway, and examines their involvement in technology decisions, and whether they can shape better outcomes for workers. By comparing a ‘neo‐liberal’ economy and a ‘Nordic welfare state’, the article considers whether stronger institutional power and regulatory supports in Norway provide for greater influence in a sector regarded as challenging for unions. The findings indicate relatively few country differences and help shed light on the factors that enable and constrain unions’ role in digitalisation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Grocery Retailing In the United Kingdom And Norwaymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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‘They tell us after they've decided things’: A cross‐country analysis of unions and digitalisation in retail

Payne

Lloyd

Jose

2022

Industrial Relations Journal

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“…One avenue of research also discusses the country-of-origin effect (Ferner 1997), whereby a company's country of origin plays a role in the way work is organized in that company, no matter what country it operates in. Alsos and Trygstad (2018), on the other hand, found that foreign-owned companies are better at following statutory regulations than Norwegian companies, as they try to appear responsible.…”

Section: Employer Strategies and The Institutional Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The platform companies also operate in industries with low union density or where self-employment is more common, and where it might be easier to exploit workers and more difficult to negotiate collective agreements (Alsos et al 2017). Such 'cracks' in the Nordic labour market model might make platform work detrimental for some already highly pressured industries such as cleaning and transportation (Alsos & Trygstad 2018;Hotvedt 2019).…”

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confidence: 99%

Employment Models of Platform Companies in Norway: A Distinctive Approach?

Jesnes

2019

NJWLS

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The past decade has seen an increase in ‘platform companies’ functioning as the intermediary between workers and customers.The way these companies structure the labour process has significant implications for working conditions. In this article, we ask: In what ways does platform work in Norway differ from standard employment relationships? And do different employment strategies of platform companies put workers in precarious situations? The article builds on qualitative interviews with CEOs of platform companies in Norway, and aims to contribute to the literature by formulating a typology of the employment models of platform companies emerging in the Nordic countries. The platforms’ employment models are compared to the standard employment relationship and precariousness. Finally, the article suggests that institutions matter for why some platform companies adopt elements of the standard employment relationships as they appear in the Nordic labour market models, and discusses the implications of this.

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Do participation structures affect workers’ voice?

Alsos

Trygstad

2022

Economic and Industrial Democracy

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Employees’ democratic right to participate is a core element of Nordic labour market models exercised both through representative and indirect participation as well as individual and direct participation. This article analyses representative participation and whether the form it takes matters: Is local trade union representatives’ assessment of influence at company level dependent on whether meetings with management are formal or informal? The question is important because institutional arrangements are on the decline in several European countries. Weaker trade unions and trade union representatives, due to falling unionisation rates, could affect strategic decisions by management when it comes to inviting trade union representatives into decision-making forums. Furthermore, individual-oriented management concepts may be strengthening this trend, in turn challenging the Nordic labour market models at company level. These issues are addressed through power resource perspectives by examining how such resources affect local trade union representatives’ capacity to influence decisions.

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11 Workplace Democracy: Representation and Participation Gaps in the Norwegian Labour Market Model

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

‘They tell us after they've decided things’: A cross‐country analysis of unions and digitalisation in retail

‘They tell us after they've decided things’: A cross‐country analysis of unions and digitalisation in retail

Employment Models of Platform Companies in Norway: A Distinctive Approach?

Do participation structures affect workers’ voice?

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