The controversies in French sociology of labour between 1945 and the early 60s sometimes overlook its place in the period of national reconstruction. As part of the social consensus marking reconstruction sociologists, encouraged by state fonctionnaires, sustained a research agenda perceived as...

Purpose – The purpose of this editorial is to introduce this special issue on “International trade union networks, European works' councils and international labour regimes”. Design/methodology/approach – The editorial provides an overview and introduces the papers which make up the...

Purpose – The article aims to report on research into managerial practices at the workplace level in Britain and Italy in the automobile and aerospace industries. These are examined with regard to their impact on employees' perceptions of skill, training and their relationship to...

The computerization of a machining line entails changes in work organization. The main innovations are the use of work teams, collective responsibility and the multiskilling of operatives. Yet these changes are not enough to ensure a satisfactory working of the line because of the way...

[eng] Can industrialisation through flexible specialisation as viewed by M. Piore and Ch. Sabel appear as the transcendance of Fordism ?. This article points out the historical, geographical and economic specificity of the emergeance of a « Third Italy » within the North-East and Central...

Purpose – Drawing on literature that examines trade union representation of “non‐standard” workers, this paper aims to analyse the attempts of the Association of University Teachers (AUT) to integrate the interests of contract research staff (CRS) employed on fixed‐term contracts...

Purpose – Much is being claimed in terms of new forms of trade union networking and co‐ordination at the international level during the past two decades. However, there is a need to ground these views in terms of the reality and contexts of trade union activity. This article seeks to argue...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the capacity for trade unions to mobilise internationally by considering how stevedores in Australia successfully internationalised a major dispute. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reports the findings of a single case study of the...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider the situation of workers' rights in the context of European Works Councils (EWCs) in the metalworking sector. Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines the preconditions, forms and patterns of trade union transnational coordination...