Trade unions, works councils and staff involvement in the modernising Czech Republic

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation.Abstract Citizen associations, trade unions and "tripartism" are the major mediators and interest-representing bodies in the Czech Republic outside political parties. A system of corporatism at the national policy making level has existed since 1990. Since 1998 trade unions have demonstrated efforts to rely less on "tripartite" arrangements and to utilise the legal provision on collective bargaining. Within the public sector there are only a very limited range of issues that can be bargained collectively. The major issue being the most sensitive area of remuneration. Public sector trade unions, unified in the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions, have established a system of regular negotiations with the government aimed at achieving agreements in pay increases and the extension of the pay scale. Post-communist Czech society is becoming more pluralistic and trade unions are playing an important role in introducing more elements of democracy.

Management strategies in the Czech telecommunications sector: a comparative study of Český Telecom and T-Mobile

“…Dvorakova further suggests that successive Czech governments have suppressed the emergence of any neo-corporatist ER system, as they did not believe that this ER framework was compatible with its liberal economic policies (Interview with CMKOS: 2005;Dvorakova 2003:425). She further suggests that Czech unions and employers remain unenthusiastic about workplace councils, preferring instead to deal directly with each other (Dvorakova 2003). By 2005 the initial success of Czech successor unions had also been muted by falling membership.…”

Management strategies in transitional economies

“…These social pacts aimed to provide greater macro stability during the transition period from socialist to more market driven economies. Researchers suggest that the Czech tripartite organisation – the Council of Economic and Social Agreement of the Czech Republic (RHSD) – proved reasonably successful in helping to maintain industrial harmony in the first half of the 1990s (Cox and Mason, 2000; Dvorakova, 2003, p. 425). Given the widespread changes that were occurring in the Czech Republic this was a considerable achievement.…”

“…Czech enterprises in the early 1990s were also governed by centrally determined incomes policies, with local union branches and firms technically forbidden from bargaining for wages increases outside of these guidelines (Hegewisch et al , 1996, p. 55). However, Dvorakova (2003, p. 425) suggests that in the mid‐ to late 1990s the Czech Government suppressed the emergence of any neo‐corporatist ER system, as it did not believe that this ER framework was compatible with its liberal economic policies. During this period the peak Czech union body, the Czech Moravian Chamber of Trade Unions (CMKOS) also began pressing for increased bargaining at the enterprise level (Hegewisch et al , 1996, p. 56).…”

“…Czech ER practices then became increasingly decentralised, with an increasing shift from industry wide to enterprise level agreements (Cox and Mason, 2000, pp. 98‐110, Dvorakova, 2003, p. 429). In light of these changes some researchers suggested that the tripartite/neocorporatist approach was a temporary phenomenon designed to guide the economy through the initial economic transformation period (Dvorakova, 2003, p. 426; Reutter, 1996).…”

“…98‐110, Dvorakova, 2003, p. 429). In light of these changes some researchers suggested that the tripartite/neocorporatist approach was a temporary phenomenon designed to guide the economy through the initial economic transformation period (Dvorakova, 2003, p. 426; Reutter, 1996). Dvorakova (2003, p. 426), however, suggests that the Czech tripartite council still plays an important role during economic downturns.…”