The Power to Dismiss

Trade Unions and the Regulation of Job Security in Western Europe

Patrick Emmenegger

First detailed comparative and historical analysis of the politics of job security regulations, covering eight West European countries and more than 100 years
Provides a large amount of previously unavailable data on the level of dismissal protection and the regulation of temporary employment
Detailed analysis of labour market dualisation processes in the field of dismissal protection and temporary work

The Power to Dismiss

Trade Unions and the Regulation of Job Security in Western Europe

Patrick Emmenegger

Description

This book analyses the historical development of job security regulations in Western Europe from the establishment of freedom of contract in the 19th century until the heyday of two-tier labour market reforms in the 2000s. Job security regulations restrict the managerial capacity to dismiss employees and use new forms of employment such as temporary work when hiring new workers.

The book makes four main contributions: First, it shows that trade unions are the main driving force behind the extension of job security regulations because these regulations protect the union organisation in the workplace and award them an important role in company decision-making. Second, the analysis demonstrates that the extension of dismissal protection was only possible in periods in which the power resources of the labour movement temporarily exceeded those of employers, such as in the immediate aftermath of World War I and II as well as in the late 1960s and early 1970s when a 'red wave' swept over Western Europe. Third, the book shows that the trade unions' desire to maintain institutional control caused them to push for the regulation of job security by means of collective agreements. In the medium term, this preference had the paradoxical effect that countries with strong labour movements featured lower levels of statutory dismissal protection than countries with weak and fragmented labour movements. Finally, the analysis demonstrates that the trade unions' organisational interest in dismissal protection prompted them to assent to two-tier labour market reforms from the 1980s onwards, thereby contributing to the dualisation of Western European labour markets.

The Power to Dismiss

Trade Unions and the Regulation of Job Security in Western Europe

Patrick Emmenegger

The Power to Dismiss

Trade Unions and the Regulation of Job Security in Western Europe

Patrick Emmenegger

Author Information

Patrick Emmenegger is professor of comparative political economy and public policy at the University of St. Gallen. He has published some forty articles and chapters in edited books, among others in Comparative Political Studies, European Journal of Political Research, Journal of European Social Policy, Socio-Economic Review and West European Politics. His latest book, entitled 'The Age of Dualization: The Changing Face of Inequality in Deindustrializing Societies' and co-edited Silja Hausermann, Bruno Palier and Martin Seeleib-Kaiser, has been published by Oxford University Press.

The Power to Dismiss

Trade Unions and the Regulation of Job Security in Western Europe

Patrick Emmenegger

From Our Blog

Why are structural reforms so difficult?

In times of economic crisis, politicians and analysts alike are typically quick to call for structural reforms to stimulate economic growth. Job security regulations are often identified as a policy area in need of such reforms. These regulations restrict the managerial capacity to dismiss employees to allow for downsizing or to replace workers and use new forms of employment such as fixed-term contracts when hiring new workers.

Posted on December 10, 2014

Read the blog post