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National collective bargaining and employment flexibility in the European building and civil engineering industries

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  • Jan Druker
  • Richard Croucher

Abstract

Change in employment practice in the European construction industry is reviewed with particular attention to the effects of flexible working on established arrangements for national collective bargaining. Data derive from European survey research coordinated by Cranfield School of Management in 1995 and from interviews with trade union and employers association representatives in the same period. Membership and support for trade unions and employers associations has weakened, although there are significant differences between countries. The most significant changes in employment practice in construction are found in the increased use of temporary, short term and fixed term contracts; in subcontracting, and in the use of overtime. These changing working practices tend to fragment the workforce and to undermine established systems of institutional interest representation. The distinctive commitment of UK employers to temporary or casual work and to subcontracting is confirmed. The changes contribute to pressure on arrangements established through multi-employer bargaining, although employers and trade union representatives remained committed, at the time of our research, to multi-employer collective agreements.

Suggested Citation

  • Jan Druker & Richard Croucher, 2000. "National collective bargaining and employment flexibility in the European building and civil engineering industries," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(6), pages 699-709, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:conmgt:v:18:y:2000:i:6:p:699-709
    DOI: 10.1080/014461900414754
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Graham Winch, 1998. "The growth of self-employment in British construction," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(5), pages 531-542.
    2. Brewster, Chris & Mayne, Lesley & Tregaskis, Olga, 1997. "Flexible working in Europe," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 133-151, July.
    3. Hyman, Richard, 1996. "Institutional transfer: industrial relations in Eastern Germany," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Economic Change and Employment FS I 96-305, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
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    5. Graham Winch, 1994. "The Search for Flexibility: The Case of the Construction Industry," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 8(4), pages 593-606, December.
    6. Linda Clarke & Christine Wall, 1998. "UK construction skills in the context of European developments," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(5), pages 553-567.
    7. Howard Gospel & Jan Druker, 1998. "The Survival of National Bargaining in the Electrical Contracting Industry: A Deviant Case?," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 36(2), pages 249-267, June.
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