Richard Hyman: Marxism,Trade Unionism and Comparative Employment Relations

Richard Hyman has been a hugely influential figure in the field of industrial relations for the best part of four decades. At a time when the future of the very subject has been questioned, we highlight three areas of Hyman's work that we believe provide fertile territory for future research. The first concerns the importance of theory and the continuing need to broaden the subject of industrial relations so that it is treated as an area in which we can examine wider questions about ‘the political economy of waged labour’. The second area is the changing nature of employee representation which, for much of Hyman's career, was synonymous with the analysis of trade unions under capitalism. The third area is one of the more striking recent successes within the subject, namely the study of comparative industrial relations. Each of these areas reveals Hyman's talent for identifying and clarifying a set of issues around the politics of work that will endure regardless of whether the subject is known as industrial relations, employment relations or human resource management.     

Economic Dualism and Employment Stability

Factor analysis of the three-digit census industry characteristics data for mining, construction, manufacturing, and communication, transportation, and public utilities reveals a sharp core-periphery dichotomy in industrial structure. Regression analysis of four different measures of employment stability over four different time periods supports the contention that the circumstances of employment in core industries foster employment stability. These results are quite robust, holding for various different measures of employment stability and phases of the business cycle. They constitute strong evidence of the existence of industrial dualism and of its importance for theories of labor turnover and unemployment and for policies aimed at promoting employment stability.     

Restructuring and Workplace Unionism at Manchester Airport

This paper provides evidence from empirical case-study research into the impact of compulsory competitive tendering on workplace union organization among the baggage-handling workforce at Manchester Airport. It documents the main processes of development within an historical context, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of workplace unionism during the 1980s, the recent challenge posed by managerial restructuring in the early 1990s, and the wider implications for debates about the 'state' of workplace unionism in Britain today.
Compared with the union resilience displayed by the baggage handlers during the 1980s, the nature of shop-stewards' organization appears to have changed drastically to managemenťs advantage during the last few years. However, continuing underlying tensions in worker-management relations suggest that this situation may not necessarily amount to a fundamental and irreversible transformation in the nature of workplace unionism in the manner in which those who use the vocabulary of the 'New Industrial Relations' would suggest.     

Employment Growth and Stability under Profit-Sharing: A Longitudinal Study

This study tests the hypotheses that employment will increase and become more stable when firms replace traditional reward systems with a bifurcated approach incorporating profit-sharing. Time-series data for 443 publicly traded profit-sharing firms and a closely matched group of industry non-sharers were analysed before and after plan implementation. While there was evidence that profit-sharing generated short-term growth, little support emerged for its theorized effect on employment variability. Unlike previous reports, organizational size was more likely to influence the impact of share arrangements than was industry type.     

The Effects of Unionism on Recruitment and Selection Methods

This study develops and tests a model of union effects on staffing practices. Unionism is found to be associated with fewer recruitment sources—suggesting that unionism reduces the need to increase applicant supply. Some data suggest that unionization increases the use of formal selection methods—consistent with arguments that higher costs make it important that the best applicants be selected. Other data support the idea that unions resist selection practices that break down the collective identity among workers.     

Is There Room for an Independent Trade Unionism in Russia? Trade Unionism in the Russian Aviation Industry

On the basis of a detailed study of two 'independent' unions, representing pilots and air traffic controllers, this paper argues that there are very limited prospects for independent trade unionism in Russia at present. The air traffic controllers' union has adopted a resolutely independent and militant strategy of pursuing the sectional interests of its members, which has brought it into conflict with management, other unions and the government. The pilots' union, by contrast, has sought to consolidate the position of its members as a labour aristocracy, collaborating closely with management to secure its privileged position. The success of the pilots contrasts starkly with the heavy defeat suffered by the air traffic controllers following their strikes in August and December 1992, indicating the barriers that face the attempt to create trade unions independent of management in Russia.