Lee, Jeong-Hee (2014) Union responses to subcontracted workers : a comparative study of the English and Korean health sectors. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

The research presented in this thesis is a study of union responses to subcontracted
labour in England and Korea. Subcontracting leads to separation of employers, and
places existing union structures and resources, and traditional collective bargaining
systems under strain. A study of union representation in relation to subcontracted
workers is important because it can address how unions deal with more complex
employment relationships. This also helps explore which factors contribute to
patterns of union responses.
This research conducted a comparative study of eight branches of the largest unions
in the English and Korean health sectors with different institutional settings. This
employed qualitative case studies using fifty-three semi-structured interviews,
observation, and document analysis. Evidence showed that typical responses
between the two varied, but there were also two outlying cases in Korea, showing
similar responses to those in England. Differences in the institutional contexts of the
source of restructuring, legal regulations, collective bargaining systems and union
structures explained why English union branches adopted more inclusive strategies
toward subcontracted workers than those in Korea. However, empirical evidence
showed that union responses were also influenced by some non-institutional factors
such as branch leadership, the attitude of the represented and effective working with
allies in the community. Despite the importance of institutions in shaping union
responses, they are not sufficient alone to explain variations in union responses and it
is necessary to consider an integrated approach considering both institutional and
non-institutional factors in a single analytical framework.
This study contributes to the field of comparative industrial relations research in
three ways. First, it extends the scope of research on union responses to contingent
workers by investigating responses to subcontracted workers. Second, it goes beyond
classifying union responses by presenting their underlying dynamics. Third, it
challenges existing ways of conducting comparative industrial relations studies
predicated upon the staple proposition that ‘institutions matter’, highlighting the
importance of an integrated approach.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Subcontracting -- England, Subcontracting -- Korea (South), Government employee unions -- England, Government employee unions -- Korea (South), Industrial relations -- England, Industrial relations -- Korea (South)
Official Date:	January 2014
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Warwick Business School
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Simms, Melanie; Donaghey, Jimmy
Extent:	ix, 311 leaves.
Language:	eng

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