Decentralisation of Collective Bargaining in the Retail Sector

  1. Valentina Paolucci 1
  2. Jan Czarzasty 4
  3. Ana Belén Muñoz Ruiz 3
  4. Nuria Ramos Martín 2
  1. 1 National University of Ireland, Maynooth
    info

    National University of Ireland, Maynooth

    Maynooth, Irlanda

    ROR https://ror.org/048nfjm95

  2. 2 University of Amsterdam
    info

    University of Amsterdam

    Ámsterdam, Holanda

    ROR https://ror.org/04dkp9463

  3. 3 Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
    info

    Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

    Madrid, España

    ROR https://ror.org/03ths8210

  4. 4 Warsaw School of Economics
    info

    Warsaw School of Economics

    Varsovia, Polonia

    ROR https://ror.org/032cph770

Book:
Pathways in Decentralised Collective Bargaining in Europe

Publisher: Amsterdam University Press

ISBN: 978-90-4856-023-3 978-90-4856-024-0

Year of publication: 2023

Pages: 113-142

Type: Book chapter

Sustainable development goals

Abstract

This chapter shows that traditional industrial relations classifications, basedon national institutional features, have become sector-specific. Companycase studies indicate that in retailing, which is characterised by generallypoor working conditions, market structures and company characteristicstend to condition unions’ capacity to engage in collective bargaining. Onlyin Sweden, where the institutional framework continues to provide a significant degree of procedural security through coordinating mechanisms,have unions been able to retain control over the decentralisation processand to play an important role at the company level. Nevertheless, in large,often internationalised companies, unions that are proactive and willingto mobilise their organisational resources, as demonstrated by Irish andGerman cases, are still able to make a positive difference for workers.