Wolters Kluwer Law & Business Globalization and Transnational Collective Labour Relations: International and European Framework Agreements at Company Level (Bulletin for Comparative Labour Relations, 90)

The severe social pressures brought about by the process of globalization have inevitably led to new modes of governance at company level. More than 250 transnational company agreements (TCAs) have been signed to date, involving more than 160 multinational enterprises (MNEs) and 10 million workers. Yet these initiatives are still very much works in progress, and consequently a full-scale assessment of what has been accomplished so far, what has been learned, and what likely future trends are emerging is much to be desired. This book responds to this challenge. Because of the distinct and early development of international framework agreements (IFAs), an important distinction exists between the latter and European framework agreements at company level (EFAs). This book identifies the similarities and differences between IFAs and EFAs, focusing particularly on how the different features of these two categories are perceived in practice by the signatory parties. The author bases her in-depth study on a detailed comparative analysis of the texts of IFAs and EFAs concluded by MNEs with a total of more than 80,000 employees in 2013, with attention to titles, signatories, sectors involved, content, addressees, duration, revision, renewal, termination, and follow-up procedures, as well as legal status and legal effects. Among the topics and issues covered are the following: corporate social responsibility; - corporate codes of conduct; - transnational collective bargaining; - European works councils and their involvement in TCAs; and - European social dialogue and TCAs. In the analysis the author also includes the publicly-driven initiatives developed in order to regulate MNEs conduct - United Nations initiatives, OECD Guidelines for Multinational Corporations, ILO Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy, and others. As a contribution to a precise definition of the working conditions in MNEs, this book breaks new ground. It will be welcomed by interested parties labour lawyers, policymakers, regulators, government of ficials worldwide.