Comparing and Contrasting Western European and Asian Employee Relations Systems
Comparing and Contrasting Western European and Asian Employee Relations Systems
INTRODUCTION
For this week’s group assignment, our team researched China, Japan, Canada, and Denmark. Our team sought to better understand Western European and Asian Employee Relations Systems from comparing and contrasting the systems that each have in place. For this assignment, we looked into three key dimensions for the countries named above. Specifically, we researched the traditional role of the government in each country, as well as any recent changes that are currently happening. We then delved deeper into each country by assessing the most common forms of employee representation and any recent changes that may be present. Finally, our team examined the traditional level of influence of the labor movement within China, Japan, Canada, and Denmark to further understand any recent changes that are occurring in that arena.
DIMENSION ONE:
The traditional role of the government in employee relations and any recent changes that are occurring:
Our team found that there were many elements of tradition in the role of the government within employee relations and the countries that we researched. For example, in China, it has been described that this country exists within a system of three ‘old irons’ (Kim, p. 165). Kim describes those areas as an iron rice bowl, iron chair, and iron wages. The iron rice bowl is a guaranteed lifetime employment via state-owned organizations; the iron chair is selection based on political orientation, absence of punishment for poor business performance; and finally, iron wage is where there is state-administered, inflexible wage structures and low wage policies (Kim, p. 165). In Denmark, another country that we researched, Anderson & Mailand found that the government is involved only to a limited extent in securing employees general rights. There are only a few laws that concern white-collar workers which stipulate that employees have
INTRODUCTION
For this week’s group assignment, our team researched China, Japan, Canada, and Denmark. Our team sought to better understand Western European and Asian Employee Relations Systems from comparing and contrasting the systems that each have in place. For this assignment, we looked into three key dimensions for the countries named above. Specifically, we researched the traditional role of the government in each country, as well as any recent changes that are currently happening. We then delved deeper into each country by assessing the most common forms of employee representation and any recent changes that may be present. Finally, our team examined the traditional level of influence of the labor movement within China, Japan, Canada, and Denmark to further understand any recent changes that are occurring in that arena.
DIMENSION ONE:
The traditional role of the government in employee relations and any recent changes that are occurring:
Our team found that there were many elements of tradition in the role of the government within employee relations and the countries that we researched. For example, in China, it has been described that this country exists within a system of three ‘old irons’ (Kim, p. 165). Kim describes those areas as an iron rice bowl, iron chair, and iron wages. The iron rice bowl is a guaranteed lifetime employment via state-owned organizations; the iron chair is selection based on political orientation, absence of punishment for poor business performance; and finally, iron wage is where there is state-administered, inflexible wage structures and low wage policies (Kim, p. 165). In Denmark, another country that we researched, Anderson & Mailand found that the government is involved only to a limited extent in securing employees general rights. There are only a few laws that concern white-collar workers which stipulate that employees have
References: Adell, B. (1993). Workplace disciplinary rules and procedures in canada. International Labour Review, 132(5), 583-583 Brenna, B. (2005). Canadian labor today: partial successes, real challenges. Monthly Review Dolan, Ronald E. and Worden, Ronald L. editors. Japan: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1994 Fulton, L., (2011) Worker representation in Europe. Labour Research Department and ETUI Gunderson, M. (2011). Impact of sector councils: A canadian institution. Journal of Labor Research, 32(4), 414-426 Jensen, C.S. (2009). Explaining flexicurity- employment relations in Denmark. Kim, D.-O RENGO. Japanese Trade Union Confederation. Retrieved February 22nd, 2013 from: http://www.jtuc-rengo.org/ Sack, J. (2010). U.S and canadian labour law: signification distinctions. ABA Journal of Labor & Employment Law, 25(2), 241-258 Sweden: Comparative Analysis” University of Technology, Sydney, 1999. http://www.businessforumchina.com/management_article_detail.htmlarticleid=324