This thesis measures and evaluates the impact of the integration of Philippine labour into the international labour market, by studying three prototype structures of this integration, namely: the export processing zone, migration of contract workers and subcontracting of domestic outwork. The evaluation is on two levels: first, whether the integration since the early 70s has significantly improved the levels of employment, wages and skills, and second, whether there are prospects of further growth in these variables. This study also evaluates the impact on the trade union movement and on employment of women. Theoretically, for a labour-surplus economy, linkage with the international factor market should increase the levels of the above variables. However, there is evidence that this is not necessarily so and that such linkage may prove costly in the long run. In addition to aggregate data obtained from various agencies, three community-level surveys were undertaken for this study. Each of the three structures studied shows varying degrees of significance of effects on the levels of employment, wages and skills, and on trade unions and employment of women. On an Overall level however, there is a pattern. Employment generation, if measured in terms of the regional, sectoral and industrial objectives of the structures, has been significant. But on the aggregate level, this is still far short of effecting full employment. Consequently, real wage levels in general have remained on a downward trend, although for the individual workers the gains are substantial, especially for the migrant workers. Viewed as a process, the linkage means a series of access for capital to cheaper sources of labour, particularly of women and domestic outworkers. The level of skills acquisition has not been significant and no loss of skills is indicated. Prospects for further growth in employment, wages and skills appear limited with the possible decline in demand for Philippine labour in the face of developments in the world market and the competition from other labour-surplus Asian economies. Finally, there has been a weakening of the trade union movement in general and a progressive recourse by management to employment of women as alternative source of cheap labour. Although the findings show a mixture of benefits and costs arising from the integration into the international market, it is recommended that an evaluation of this strategy be made in the light of changing world market and ASEAN regional conditions.

This thesis examines the labour implications of the diffusion of programmable automation (microelectronics-based automation) in Brazilian industry. The objective of the thesis is to investigate whether the new technology is contributing to the superseding of TayloristlFordist forms of work organisation and to the emergence of new employment practices. A hypothesis is formulated, in Part One, which takes into account the predominant view in the literature addressing the specific role of the new technology in the transformation of work. The core of the hypothesis is that, in the branches of manufacturing industry which are adopting programmable automation, labour utilisation and work organisation tend to converge towards a pattern which was inaugurated by highly automated, continuous-flow process industries. Hence it is called the convergence hypothesis, in this thesis. To test the pertinence of the convergence hypothesis for the case of Brazilian industry is the major undertaking of the thesis. The research strategy adopted is to examine and compare the two poles of the hypothesis. Thus, two sectoral studies are carried out: one, in the Brazilian car industry, and the other, in the Brazilian petrochemical industry. The main sources are primary data collected in car and petrochemical firms and statistics produced by the Brazilian government. Part Two of the thesis presents the findings of research, as well as the lessons drawn from the case studies. The main conclusion of the thesis is that convergence has not occurred in the Brazilian case. In Brazil, the diffusion of programmable automation has been associated with the continuation of major intersectoral differences in the use of labour. Given the selectivity of the diffusion of programmable automation in the car industry, firms continue to rely heavily on the work of semi-skilled workers and Fordist work organisation is still the predominant paradigm. This research shows the reproduction of the gap between a small group of skilled workers and a majority of semi-skilled workers. As regards wages, careers and labour turnover policies, car companies have blended the introduction of new policies with the continuation of some of the "old style" policies. This situation is contrasted with that found in the petrochemical industry, which is based on a type of technology which entails a less pronounced division of labour. There, a high level of automation implies that the bulk of employment is indirect. This research found a more homogeneous workforce in the petrochemical industry: the majority of workers are skilled and possess a high educational background, by Brazilian standards. However, managements' concern with control of labour continues to mark their choices of work organisation, job design and industrial relations, in both industrial sectors. This is in conflict with managements' declared interest in promoting workers' involvement with the innovation and quality related objectives of firms. Such contradictory practices, as much as selective automation, are part of a defensive modernisation, which is the ad hoc way in which most of the firms studied reacted to the new challenges, under worsening economic crisis.

This thesis is based around a participant observation study of two ~lhQlefood shops in the South of England: one a co-operative. the other a partnership/collective. The case studies illuminate the organizational problems encountered in both enterprises during the fieldwoEi<. and explore ~ossible underlying reasons for the particular profile of organizational problem found within each enterprise. It argues that the character of the problems found to occur was strongly influenced by the relationship, over time, between three variables: 'external forces', social and economic aims. The pursuit of one set of aim at the expense of the other, particularly, was found to be inverse).y related to the nature of the organizational problems encountered. The thesis indicates that many critics and promoters of co-operatives alike make presuppositions about the nature of co-operatives and co-operation which are not corroborated by empirical evidence. The main conclusion of the study is that for co-operative organizations to minimise the likelihood of the occurrence of serious organizational problems, their members must strive to develop a con5ci~usness of the relationship between the three variables and a 'balance' between social and economic aims.

This study presents a cross-cultural analysis of female labour force participation rates (FLFPR's) -a crucial ingredient of the development and growth process - by evaluating the underlying determinants of high and low FLFP within and across countries. Selecting a sample of West Indian women (from Jamaica, Dominica, Guyana, Barbados and St. Kitts) and Asian women (viz. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) and . extending it to the West Indian and Asian immigrants in the U. K., this study provides an analysis of women of diversified origin, demographic, socio-economic and cultural background. This enables us to draw implications for women in the migratory process by identifying the variation in FLFPR's and their determinants in rural, urban and acvanced (UK) urban states. The wide range applications of regression techniques to the FLFP function reveals the significance of various determinants generally contended to increase/decrease FLFP. The main factors identified are: demography, fertility, education, level of development, organization of industry/ agriculture, child-care facilities, historical forces, culture and religion. Findings indicate how culture in the West Indies has promoted FLFP (though deteriorated women's status) but depressed Asian FLFP. However, it is suggested that where socio-cultural and religious forces dominate, these can be outweighed by providing-greater accomodative opportunities, where the latter encourage women to adopt a working role within the surrounding socio-cultural and fertility constraints. Since there are more of such opportunities in rural areas, it is observed that the rural rates will be higher than the urban rates. Examining immigrant women their high FLFPR's seem to emerge from the dominance of favourable post-migration characteristics and surroundings as compared to the pre-migration characteristics. Also, this study attempts to compare the performance of alternative techniques for estimating the labour supply function, such as LOGIT and TSLS. However, the conclusions emerging from use of these techniques are very similar to those obtained by OLS

No description available.

During year 2007 ClaraHälsan Ltd bought the company health service Solstahälsan in Karlstad. The wide merger of the two health services the problems arose around the employees’ employment agreements when certain parts of the agreement differ. At a transition of a company, in this case a health service, the rights and obligations for the employees will pass on to the new employer according to directive 2001/23/EG who came in force in the swedish legal system in year 1995. The former employer is only responsible vis-à-vis the employees ”for economic obligations related to the time before the transition, the code of protection of employment 6 b §. The new employer are committed to the old employment agreement vis-à-vis the employees during at least one year. At a transition the employment will automatically pass on to the new employer who will take over the rights and obligations in connections to the transition. It is not the collective agreement in whole that will pass on to the new employer, only the employment conditions in the collective agreement. The purpose of this essay is to examine what will happen to the employment conditions when two companies become one through a transition, especially pension benefits.

The purpose of this study is to use Adams' Equity Theory in order to examine the underlying processes/factors influencing absenteeism. Two primary issues were investigated. One was to examine the potential relationship between the perception of inequity and absenteeism. The second was to examine the potential relationship between the demographic characteristics of the perceiver and the perception of inequity and equity. A random stratified sample of 110 was drawn from automotive component manufacturing companies in KwaZulu-Natal. A specifically constructed questionnaire comprising of a biographical data section and another on assessing perceptions of inequity was administered. Data was analysed using SPSS. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used. The results indicated a significant relationship between the perception of inequity and absenteeism rates. Therefore, participants who perceived an inequitable situation in the workplace were absent more often than participants who perceived an equitable situation. Furthermore a significant relationship was found between age and tenure and the perception of inequity. Participants who perceived inequity were in the 31-35 age group and had been employed by their current company for between 6-10 years. No relationship was found between the biographical characteristics of gender, ethnic background, educational levels and the perception of inequity and equity. A major limitation of the study was access to historical absenteeism data of the participants. In order to generate a more comprehensive understanding of the dynamics that underlie the relationship between perceived inequity in the workplace and behavioural reactions such as absenteeism, within a South African context, further research on the application of the theory must be done in future. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

<p>An analysis of the various forms of child labour since the industrial revolution illustrqtes that the primary focus was on working children and regulating their admission to employment and conditions of work, as demonstrated by the eventual adoption of the International Labour Organisation's Convention No. 138 concerning the Minimum age for Admission to Employment in 1973. Although the 20th century also ushered in the International censure for human rights violations in the form of supra-national binding conventions on slavery, forced labour and trafficking, these efforts had no specific focus on children and there was no internationally binding legal instrument that recognised the economic exploitation of children extended far beyond mere working conditions and employment issues to commercial sex exploitation, debt bondage and slavery. This thesis sought to evaluate the theoretical and practical soundness of Convention 182 generally in relation to South Africa more specifically.</p>

No abstract available. / Thesis (LL.M.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

This thesis normatively defends political equality and deliberation by citizens, arguing for the constitutional integration of randomly selected citizens’ bodies in modern representative democracies. This defence is initiated through Aristotle’s explication of the constitution of polity and its inclusion of all economic classes, especially through lottery as one method of selection for deliberative office. Since a unifying theme of this study is the justification of citizens’ deliberation through a labour theory of value, Aristotle’s philosophy is also criticized for its failure to politically value and include all labourers. This shortcoming propels applying Karl Marx, and his theory of the capitalist division of labour, to justify citizens’ assemblies that are fully inclusive. Finally, the feasibility and potential of a constitutionally implemented, randomly selected citizens’ body - as a means for mitigating political and socioeconomic hierarchy - is analyzed and reinforced through the contemporary case of the British Columbia Citizens’ Assembly.