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‘They tell us after they've decided things’: A cross‐country analysis of unions and digitalisation in retail

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  • Jonathan Payne
  • Caroline Lloyd
  • Secki P. Jose

Abstract

The role of trade unions in the social shaping of digital technologies is a vital question for research, public policy and social justice. This article draws on interviews with two unions in the grocery retail sector in the United Kingdom and Norway, and examines their involvement in technology decisions, and whether they can shape better outcomes for workers. By comparing a ‘neo‐liberal’ economy and a ‘Nordic welfare state’, the article considers whether stronger institutional power and regulatory supports in Norway provide for greater influence in a sector regarded as challenging for unions. The findings indicate relatively few country differences and help shed light on the factors that enable and constrain unions’ role in digitalisation.

Suggested Citation

  • Jonathan Payne & Caroline Lloyd & Secki P. Jose, 2023. "‘They tell us after they've decided things’: A cross‐country analysis of unions and digitalisation in retail," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(1), pages 3-19, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:indrel:v:54:y:2023:i:1:p:3-19
    DOI: 10.1111/irj.12390
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Caroline Lloyd & Jonathan Payne, 2021. "Fewer jobs, better jobs? An international comparative study of robots and ‘routine’ work in the public sector," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(2), pages 109-124, March.
    2. Thomas Haipeter, 2020. "Digitalisation, unions and participation: the German case of ‘industry 4.0’," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(3), pages 242-260, May.
    3. Andreas Kornelakis & Vassil Kirov & Patrick Thill, 2022. "The digitalisation of service work: A comparative study of restructuring of the banking sector in the United Kingdom and Luxembourg," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 28(3), pages 253-272, September.
    4. Robin Price, 2016. "Controlling routine front line service workers: an Australian retail supermarket case," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 30(6), pages 915-931, December.
    5. Christian Lévesque & Gregor Murray, 2010. "Understanding union power: resources and capabilities for renewing union capacity," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 16(3), pages 333-350, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Caroline Lloyd & Jonathan Payne, 2023. "Trade unions, digitalisation and country effects: A comparative study of banking in Norway and the UK," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 29(4), pages 325-345, December.

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