International Homogenization or the Persistence of National Practices?

Abstract

This paper is the first systematic attempt to provide an overview of industrial relations practices at firm level in Mozambique. Through a nationwide survey of firms, the paper assesses the extent to which specific sets of practices are associated with particular regions, and/or sectors, and explores the relationship between IR practice and national institutional realities. The survey revealed that informalism and autocratic managerialism characterize the practice of employment relations. But it would be mistaken to assume a convergence towards a global systematic archetype of low wage/low skill/low security of tenure set of practices. Instead, the authors conclude, contemporary Mozambique employment relations are an example of external market pressures being channelled and moulded by the persistence of national level realities that stretch back to the colonial era. In the absence of effective institutional mechanisms, familiar conventions are likely to persist because people know how these work in practice.

Corporate Governance and Human Resource Management

“…The end of the cold war led to the end of such conflicts, and democratisation in all the former Portuguese colonies, accompanied by radical neoliberal reforms Haines, 1998, Wood, 1999]. However, a remarkable feature was that, despite all these systemic shocks, there was continuity in firm level HRM practices, largely following on the autocratic paternalist model outlined earlier [Webster et al, 2006, Wood, 2011.…”

Institutional legacies and HRM: similarities and differences in HRM practices in Portugal and Mozambique

“…In HRM terms, this contributed towards large-scale job losses (Dibben, 2010); whilst democratization meant more autonomy for trade unions, job losses resulted in a collapse in membership (Dibben, 2010). A new tripartite negotiating forum, the Consultative Labour Commission, set a minimum wage, but enforcement of agreements was uneven or weak (Webster, Wood, & Brookes, 2006). Throughout all these changes, there were strong continuities in Mozambican work and employment relations, with divisions between larger firms (often either currently or previously state owned), SMEs, and a very large informal sector, with a legacy of authoritarian management (Dibben & Nadin, 2011;Webster & Wood, 2005;Wood et al, 2010).…”

Varieties of Capitalism and Employment Relations: Informally Dominated Market Economies

“…However, again, informal rules and practices predominate. Survey data reveal that legal rights do not necessarily lead to participative practices: although over half of workplaces had a shop steward, they were appointed by management in 35 percent of cases; communication mechanisms tended to be ad hoc rather than formalized; and although a collective agreement was in place in 46 percent of workplaces, only 39 percent of managers believed that their firm abided by the agreement in practice (Webster, Wood, and Brookes 2006). Moreover, collective bargaining does not apply to firms with fewer than ten employees, and industry level bargaining is only in place for banks (Director B, OTM, 2009).…”