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Towards ‘multi-collar’ unionism: Cases of trespassing professionals in Norwegian industrial relations

Johan E Ravn and Lisbeth Øyum
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Johan E Ravn: Nord University, Norway
Lisbeth Øyum: SINTEF Technology and Society, Norway

Economic and Industrial Democracy, 2020, vol. 41, issue 4, 887-909

Abstract: This article discusses the changes in workers’ identity as blue-collar or salaried staff with respect to changing work content due to new models of industrial systems. Within these new industrial models, traditional blue-collar work is moving into areas of work previously held solely by salaried staff. This article argues that the merging of work content will cause a process of identity-mergers, a process calling for increased collaboration between blue-collar unions on the one hand, and salaried staff unions on the other. Reporting on four company cases, the authors argue that this process is caused both by labour unions’ efforts to increase workers’ motivation in work, as well as by market demands generating new models of industrial production. The authors conclude that the models of industrial relations must change so as to encompass cross-union collaboration and the diversity of professions.

Keywords: Cooperation; employee participation; industrial relations; labour–management cooperation; workplace development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:ecoind:v:41:y:2020:i:4:p:887-909

DOI: 10.1177/0143831X17743794

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