The micro-politics of collective bargaining: The case of gender equality

Abstract

What are the drivers of collective bargaining to achieve gender equality in companies? Although much research has been done on this question, answers tend to focus exclusively on the institutional perspective and to neglect the social and power relations at work. We address this deficiency in this article taking a micro-political perspective. We trace the trajectory of a bargained gender equality policy in a French company over 14 years and examine how management and unions contribute to the process. Our results show that the construction of a coalition between management and unions around gender equality, as well as the form taken by the bargained policy, are closely linked to the capabilities that these actors possess and mobilise. This study contributes to the understanding of gender equality bargaining and, more generally, to the micro-politics of collective bargaining. In doing so, it aims to connect organisation studies and industrial relations.

Beyond the surface: Unpacking the opportunity structure for gender equality bargaining in Chile

“…Barriers to positioning equality agenda within trade unions mean that not all demands become part of the union agenda but are sometimes managed on a case-by-case basis by individual women within organisations. Women leaders often play an influential role in micro-dynamics that may be invisible when only examining formal bargaining channels (Bourguignon and Coron, 2021). Although the unions’ claims are shared by many female workers, interviews suggest difficulty in prioritising injustices on the trade union agenda.…”

Coffee and cigarettes in industrial relations: A comparative network analysis of the role of informality

“…Further research should consider studying the factors behind processes where actors did not reach any agreement and adopted a conflictual approach. Another limitation to consider in future research is the lack of a cross-gender perspective that may observe possible downsides of the use of formal and informal mechanisms in male dominated bargaining processes, both assessing the influence of female negotiators and its role in the bargaining of gender equality clauses (Bourguignon and Coron, 2023; Martikainen, 2000).…”