National collective bargaining and employment flexibility in the European building and civil engineering industries

Abstract

Change in employment practice in the European construction industry is reviewed with particular attention to the effects of flexible working on established arrangements for national collective bargaining. Data derive from European survey research coordinated by Cranfield School of Management in 1995 and from interviews with trade union and employers association representatives in the same period. Membership and support for trade unions and employers associations has weakened, although there are significant differences between countries. The most significant changes in employment practice in construction are found in the increased use of temporary, short term and fixed term contracts; in subcontracting, and in the use of overtime. These changing working practices tend to fragment the workforce and to undermine established systems of institutional interest representation. The distinctive commitment of UK employers to temporary or casual work and to subcontracting is confirmed. The changes contribute to pressure on arrangements established through multi-employer bargaining, although employers and trade union representatives remained committed, at the time of our research, to multi-employer collective agreements.