Summaries
What about the integral claims of sociotechni- cal design?
M. van Klaveren
The socio-technical approach of designing new factories and offices is flourishing in The Nether lands. Indeed, its prospects are rather promising, also for workers’ representatives. Yet, recent ex periences in a workers’ consultancy and theoreti cal reflections point to four weaknesses in this ap proach:
1. the neglect of relations with external markets; 2. the underestimation of the automation po
tential;
3. problems concerning the relation between fea tures of the company as a system and those of labour;
4. the neglect of power relations.
It is shown that uncertainty governs in design and related negotiation processes, in management cir cles as well as on the workers’ side. Uncertainty is a key notion for a better theoretical framework. This should also take into account the differentia tion in, even possible conflicts between, various workers’ interests in the processes at stake.
Beyond the labour process approach B. Fruytier and K. ten Have
In the past years the basic assumptions of the la bour process approach have been criticized. A re view of a compilation of contributions to a semi nar on the labour procès debate in the Nether lands shows that the ‘control thesis’, a central is sue in the labour process approach, is not put ex plicitly anymore. It has (had) its value only in a specific historic situation, characterized by un problematic product markets and tight labour markets. At present the situation is more like the reverse. Competition in product markets is seve
re, which calls for a high capacity to deal with the complexity of an organization’s environment, ra ther than a high capacity to control its workers. In the present situation theories on the design of or ganizations should therefore take competition on product markets as a starting point.
FNV in the region; an analysis of the possibili ties of the FNV-labour union to increase their regional presence
L. van der Laan and A. Ringerwole
Several trade unions try to counter the present er osion of the labour union participation in the Ne therlands by strengthening the regional basis. In this article an analysis is made of the locational implications of this proces. On basis of a marke ting strategy and the theory of non-profit facility location, the optimal location of ‘union-centres’ is selected. This selection is directed at the present and possible future presence of specific relevant groups like the unemployed, the female labour force and union members.
Searching for new employees J. van Ours
In this article the results are presented of some va cancy-surveys recently held in the Netherlands. Using these results a description is given of em ployers’ search for new employees, including the use of recruitment channels and the durations of the job vacancies.
Labour market participation in the European Community
A. Dickmann and L. van der Laan.
The article is directed at a critical discussion of labour projection models as used by e.g. the ILO and Eurostat. At first a description is given of the conditions and results of these models. Secondly the development of the labour supply in the EC-9 during the period 1979-1985 is analysed. The de velopment of the total supply is corrected for the age-specific structure of the population. A-third section comprehenses a theoretically heterodox explanation of the participation changes in 133 EC regions. A concluding section links the results of the explanatory analysis with the current pro jecting models.
The future of the welfare state H. Hoefnagels
The welfare state is threatened by the slowing down of economic growth and environmental pro blems. Full employment, necessary for the conti nuation of social sevices, is no longer attainable because further economic growth is hampered by pollution and lack of natural resources.
There is therefore a necessity for a re-orientation of social thought and social policy, which will ha ve tot ensure that an individualistic idea of free dom is replaced by a conception of freedom boun ded by social responsibility. The transition can be understood by reference to the ideas of Marx.
