The Changing Appearence of Employers’ Associations: A Review of Selected Countries

Year 2023, Issue: 84, 59 - 75, 19.07.2023

M. Seyyid Yelek

https://doi.org/10.26650/jspc.2023.84.1221130

Abstract

Employers’ associations are formed by capital owners to protect and develop their common economic rights and interests in industrial relations. Employers’ associations were founded based on the change in interclass relations after the Industrial Revolution and have played an important role in the process of making rules regarding industrial relations for a long time, having achieved great success in protecting the class interests of their members. However, the weakening in the reasons that led to the formation of employers’ associations in the following period caused these institutions to lose their members and power to a significant extent. As a result, employers’ associations have taken various measures to prevent membership losses and to maintain their power. This article discusses England, Germany, and the United States of America as examples of countries where employers’ associations developed early. Employers’ associations are observed to have undergone a significant transformation as a result of their struggles and activities related to maintaining their existence, and they started undertaking the activities of other employers’ organizations in this context and in line with their capabilities. Based on these changes, this study concludes that employers’ associations have gone beyond being pure industrial relations organizations to gradually having become hybrid organizations.

Keywords

Employers’ Associations, Industrial Relations

İşveren Sendikalarının Değişen Görünümü: Seçilmiş Ülkeler Üzerine Bir İnceleme

Abstract

İşveren sendikaları, sermaye sahiplerinin endüstri ilişkilerindeki ortak ekonomik hak ve çıkarlarını korumak ve geliştirmek için oluşturdukları örgütlerdir. Sanayi devriminden sonra sınıflar arası ilişkilerde görülen değişim üzerine kurulan işveren sendikaları uzun bir dönem boyunca endüstri ilişkilerindeki kural koyma sürecinde önemli görevler üstlenmişler ve üyelerinin sınıfsal çıkarlarını korumada büyük ölçüde başarıya ulaşmışlardır. Ancak ilerleyen süreçte, işveren sendikalarının ortaya çıkmalarına sebep olan olgularda görülen zayıflama, bu kurumların üye kaybı yaşamalarına ve güçlerini önemli ölçüde yitirmelerine sebep olmuştur. Bu durum karşısında işveren sendikaları üye kayıplarını azaltmak ve güçlerini muhafaza etmek amacıyla çeşitli önlemler almışlardır. Çalışmada işveren sendikacılığının erken gelişme gösterdiği ülke örneklerinden İngiltere, Almanya ve Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ele alınmıştır. İşveren sendikalarının varlıklarını devam ettirmek kaygısıyla giriştikleri mücadeleler ve izledikleri faaliyetler neticesinde önemli bir dönüşüm geçirdikleri, işveren dernekleri ve odalar gibi diğer işveren örgütlerinin yürüttükleri faaliyetleri de imkânları doğrultusunda üstlendikleri görülmüştür. İşveren sendikalarının böylelikle saf endüstri ilişkileri örgütleri olmanın ötesine geçerek giderek karma örgütler haline gelmeye başladıkları sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.

Keywords

İşveren Sendikaları, İşveren Örgütleri, Endüstri İlişkileri

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