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From Trade Unions as Major Labour Organisations to Human Resources Departments: What are the Factors behind this Transition?

Year 2009, Volume: 11 Issue: 6, 25 - 37, 01.12.2009

Abstract

The aim of this study is to understand the reasons for the changes occurring in labour organisations and workmanship in Turkey through a study based on workers’ experiences. The study is based on field research that was conducted during 2004 and 2005 with workers from the electronics and textile sectors in Ankara, Bursa and Istanbul. These sectors were chosen especially for the fact that they have existed in Turkey since before the 1980s and have had significant impacts on the industrialisation and transformation of the three cities. Forty workers who are either still working or are retired from both large and small scale enterprises were interviewed in-depth. Global and national changes in the labour market and new economic policies after the 1980s have affected workers’ organisational capacity in Turkey. In this study, three important responses are determined as an explanation for these changes: i) growing impotence of trade unions as institutions, ii) emergence of human resource management and departments, and iii) increase of small and informal workplaces which have neither trade unions nor human resources departments. Workers’ experiences and perceptions and the factors behind their views are discussed in the paper.

References

  • Balkan, N. and Savran, S. (ed) 2002. The Po- litics of Permanent Crisis: Class, Ideo- logy and State in Turkey, New York: Nova Science Publishers Inc.
  • Bulutay, T. and Taştı, E. 2004. Informal Sec- tor in the Turkish Labour Market, Dis- cussion Paper 2004/22, Turkish Economic Association.
  • Cihangir, A. 1996. 1980 Yılı Sonrası Türki- ye'de İstihdam ve Yapısal Emek Piya- sası Politikalari (Employment and Structural Labour Market Policies in Turkey After 1980), Sabahattin Zaim'e Armağan, İstanbul.
  • Fiorito, Jack. 2001. “Human Resource Mana- gement Practices and Worker Desires for Union Representation.” Journal of Labor Research, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Spring), pp. 335–54.
  • Gallin, Dan. 2001. “Propositions on Trade Unions and Informal Employment in Times of Globalisation,” Editorial Board of Antipode, pp. 531-549.
  • Guest, David and Neil Conway. 1999. “Pee- ring into the Black Hole: The Downside of the New Employment Relations in the UK.” British Journal of Industrial Relations 37, pp. 367-89.
  • Guest, David E. 1989. “Human Resource Management: Its Implications for In- dustrial Relations and Trade Unions.” In John Storey, ed., New Perspectives on Human Resource Management. London: Routledge, pp. 41–55.
  • Hasse, Raimund and Håkon Leiulfsrud. 2002. “From disorganized capitalism to transnational fine turning?: recent trends in wage development, industrial relations, and ‘work’ as a sociological category.” British Journal of Sociology Vol. No. 53 Issue No. 1, pp. 107–126
  • Machin, Stephen, and Stephen Wood. 2005. Human Resource Management as a Substitute for Trade Unions in British Workplaces, Industrial and Labour Re- lations Review, Vol. 58, No. 2, pp. 201- 220.
  • Öncü, A. and Gökçe, D. 1991. “Macro-Poli- tics of Deregulation and Micro-Politics of Banks” in Strong State and Economic Interest Groups: The Post-1980 Experi- ence, ed. by Metin Heper, New York, pp.99-117.
  • Strauss, George. 1984. “Industrial Relations: Time of Change.” Industrial Relations 23, pp. 1-15.
  • Verma, Anil, Thomas A. Kochan, and Step- hen J. Wood. 2002. “Union Decline and Prospects for Revival: Editors’ Intro- duction.” British Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 40, No. 3 (September), pp. 373–84.
  • World Bank. 2006. Turkey Labour Market Study, Report No. 33254-TR (Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Unit, Europe and Central Asia), Was- hington DC: 14 April 2006.
Year 2009, Volume: 11 Issue: 6, 25 - 37, 01.12.2009

Abstract

References

  • Balkan, N. and Savran, S. (ed) 2002. The Po- litics of Permanent Crisis: Class, Ideo- logy and State in Turkey, New York: Nova Science Publishers Inc.
  • Bulutay, T. and Taştı, E. 2004. Informal Sec- tor in the Turkish Labour Market, Dis- cussion Paper 2004/22, Turkish Economic Association.
  • Cihangir, A. 1996. 1980 Yılı Sonrası Türki- ye'de İstihdam ve Yapısal Emek Piya- sası Politikalari (Employment and Structural Labour Market Policies in Turkey After 1980), Sabahattin Zaim'e Armağan, İstanbul.
  • Fiorito, Jack. 2001. “Human Resource Mana- gement Practices and Worker Desires for Union Representation.” Journal of Labor Research, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Spring), pp. 335–54.
  • Gallin, Dan. 2001. “Propositions on Trade Unions and Informal Employment in Times of Globalisation,” Editorial Board of Antipode, pp. 531-549.
  • Guest, David and Neil Conway. 1999. “Pee- ring into the Black Hole: The Downside of the New Employment Relations in the UK.” British Journal of Industrial Relations 37, pp. 367-89.
  • Guest, David E. 1989. “Human Resource Management: Its Implications for In- dustrial Relations and Trade Unions.” In John Storey, ed., New Perspectives on Human Resource Management. London: Routledge, pp. 41–55.
  • Hasse, Raimund and Håkon Leiulfsrud. 2002. “From disorganized capitalism to transnational fine turning?: recent trends in wage development, industrial relations, and ‘work’ as a sociological category.” British Journal of Sociology Vol. No. 53 Issue No. 1, pp. 107–126
  • Machin, Stephen, and Stephen Wood. 2005. Human Resource Management as a Substitute for Trade Unions in British Workplaces, Industrial and Labour Re- lations Review, Vol. 58, No. 2, pp. 201- 220.
  • Öncü, A. and Gökçe, D. 1991. “Macro-Poli- tics of Deregulation and Micro-Politics of Banks” in Strong State and Economic Interest Groups: The Post-1980 Experi- ence, ed. by Metin Heper, New York, pp.99-117.
  • Strauss, George. 1984. “Industrial Relations: Time of Change.” Industrial Relations 23, pp. 1-15.
  • Verma, Anil, Thomas A. Kochan, and Step- hen J. Wood. 2002. “Union Decline and Prospects for Revival: Editors’ Intro- duction.” British Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 40, No. 3 (September), pp. 373–84.
  • World Bank. 2006. Turkey Labour Market Study, Report No. 33254-TR (Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Unit, Europe and Central Asia), Was- hington DC: 14 April 2006.
There are 13 citations in total.

Details

Other ID JA24EM35ER
Journal Section Articles
Authors

Assoc.Prof.Dr.Sibel Kalaycıoğlu This is me

Dr.Kezban Çelik This is me

Assoc.Prof.Dr.Helga Rıttersberger This is me

Publication Date December 1, 2009
Published in Issue Year 2009 Volume: 11 Issue: 6

Cite

APA Kalaycıoğlu, A., Çelik, D., & Rıttersberger, A. (2009). From Trade Unions as Major Labour Organisations to Human Resources Departments: What are the Factors behind this Transition?. ISGUC The Journal of Industrial Relations and Human Resources, 11(6), 25-37.
AMA Kalaycıoğlu A, Çelik D, Rıttersberger A. From Trade Unions as Major Labour Organisations to Human Resources Departments: What are the Factors behind this Transition?. isguc. December 2009;11(6):25-37.
Chicago Kalaycıoğlu, Assoc.Prof.Dr.Sibel, Dr.Kezban Çelik, and Assoc.Prof.Dr.Helga Rıttersberger. “From Trade Unions As Major Labour Organisations to Human Resources Departments: What Are the Factors Behind This Transition?”. ISGUC The Journal of Industrial Relations and Human Resources 11, no. 6 (December 2009): 25-37.
EndNote Kalaycıoğlu A, Çelik D, Rıttersberger A (December 1, 2009) From Trade Unions as Major Labour Organisations to Human Resources Departments: What are the Factors behind this Transition?. ISGUC The Journal of Industrial Relations and Human Resources 11 6 25–37.
IEEE A. Kalaycıoğlu, D. Çelik, and A. Rıttersberger, “From Trade Unions as Major Labour Organisations to Human Resources Departments: What are the Factors behind this Transition?”, isguc, vol. 11, no. 6, pp. 25–37, 2009.
ISNAD Kalaycıoğlu, Assoc.Prof.Dr.Sibel et al. “From Trade Unions As Major Labour Organisations to Human Resources Departments: What Are the Factors Behind This Transition?”. ISGUC The Journal of Industrial Relations and Human Resources 11/6 (December 2009), 25-37.
JAMA Kalaycıoğlu A, Çelik D, Rıttersberger A. From Trade Unions as Major Labour Organisations to Human Resources Departments: What are the Factors behind this Transition?. isguc. 2009;11:25–37.
MLA Kalaycıoğlu, Assoc.Prof.Dr.Sibel et al. “From Trade Unions As Major Labour Organisations to Human Resources Departments: What Are the Factors Behind This Transition?”. ISGUC The Journal of Industrial Relations and Human Resources, vol. 11, no. 6, 2009, pp. 25-37.
Vancouver Kalaycıoğlu A, Çelik D, Rıttersberger A. From Trade Unions as Major Labour Organisations to Human Resources Departments: What are the Factors behind this Transition?. isguc. 2009;11(6):25-37.