Suchergebnisse

Active employment strategies raise complex questions and considerations for trade unions. This is especially true for activation. If unions oppose activation it will be hard for them to play a relevant role in the contemporary debate. If they agree with current activation policies they will share responsibility for the risks attached to them. This article tries to find a way out of this dilemma. It explores the central issue of what constitutes an adequate stance for trade unions with regard to activation, in a situation where full employment is not a realistic aim. A possible way out of the dilemma is formulated from two perspectives. The first is a reciprocal, client-oriented approach to benefit claimants elaborated in terms of rights and duties that are defendable from a trade union point of view. The second is a broader concept of social participation, in which participation is not limited to paid employment on the regular labour market. Formulating these ideas only makes sense if the unions are also prepared and able to back them up with union power. The final section of the article addresses the question of how unions can back up their position on activation with union power.

"Für die Gewerkschaften ergeben sich aus aktiven Beschäftigungsstrategien komplexe Fragen und Erwägungen. Dies gilt ganz besonders für Aktivierungsmaßnahmen. Wenn sie eine ablehnende Haltung gegenüber Aktivierungsstrategien einnehmen, wird es schwierig für sie sein, eine bedeutende Rolle in der heutigen Debatte zu spielen. Wenn sie hingegen die aktuellen Aktivierungspolitiken befürworten, dann tragen sie auch die Verantwortung für die damit verbundenen Risiken. Dieser Artikel versucht, einen Ausweg aus diesem Dilemma zu finden. Im Mittelpunkt steht die Frage, welche Haltung die Gewerkschaften in einer Situation, in der Vollbeschäftigung kein realistisches Ziel darstellt, gegenüber Aktivierungspolitiken einnehmen sollten. Der Autor beschreibt einen möglichen Ausweg aus diesem Dilemma aus zweierlei Perspektiven. Der erste basiert auf einem gegenseitigen, kundenorientierten Ansatz in Bezug auf Anspruchsberechtigte mit Rechten und Pflichten, die aus gewerkschaftlicher Sicht vertretbar sind Der zweite beruht auf einem breiteren Konzept der sozialen Teilnahme, die über die bezahlte Beschäftigung auf dem normalen Arbeitsmarkt hinausgeht. Es macht jedoch nur dann Sinn, diese Ideen zu formulieren, wenn die Gewerkschaften auch darauf vorbereitet und fähig sind, sie mit Gewerkschaftsmacht zu unterstützen. Im letzten Teil des Artikels befasst sich der Autor mit der Frage, wie die Gewerkschaften ihre Position bezüglich der Aktivierung mit Gewerkschaftsmacht untermauern können." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

The proposition that western industrialised society is subject to fundamental change is hardly controversial. If trade unions are to remain actively involved in the context of this changing society, in the role of an emancipatory social movement, modernisation is imperative. This contribution outlines a number of changes in society and how they affect the position of trade unions. Subsequently, as regards the modernisation of trade unions themselves, the author formulates two priorities: the problem of participation and the concept of labour as used by the trade unions. Finally, he analyses the way in which the trade union movement in the Netherlands has handled these priorities up to now. This analysis will focus primarily on the developments within the federation of Dutch trade unions (Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging, FNV). With a membership of over a million, the FNV is the largest trade union in the Netherlands.1 He also looks at the developments within the Christian federation (Christelijk Nationaal Vakverbond, CNV), which has about 350,000 members. At the outset two things should be stressed. Firstly, the author chose a critical approach, but in the firm conviction that a strong, modernised trade union movement is essential. Secondly, the present discussion is limited to outlining developments, which are dominant in the view of the author. Only brief reference will be made to new approaches that occur in concrete trade union practice.

In this article the authors present a research project on processes of transformation in organizations for elderly care in the Netherlands. First, the article presents a general description of the project and the central issue of the project — a demand-driven approach to elderly care. They present the methods of exemplarian action research that were used. In this method, quality and validity are primarily linked to the relationship between the researcher and the researched party. A central argument is that the relationship between researchers and the researched party should be based on the principle of `reciprocal adequacy', i.e. on the fundamental equivalence of both in the process of developing social scientific knowledge. The authors elaborate on these topics on a theoretical level as well as on a more practical level. On a more practical level the questions as to who should be seen as co-researchers, what role they should play in the research project and how they can fulfil this role have to be answered time and again, with different answers in different situations.

Esta contribución trata sobre la el problema de la e xistencia de "trabajadores pobres" en Holanda. El resto del mundo tiende a considerar a Holanda como un éxito económico. Es en este conte xto en el que el artículo investiga sobre la e xistencia de trabajadores en Holanda que teniendo un trabajo remunerado se ven inmersos en los problemas de la pobreza. Los datos estadísticos disponibles a nivel macroeconómico dan indicaciones claras de la e xistencia de "trabajadores pobres". A la luz de estos datos, la cuestión de los "trabajadores pobres" debería tener un lugar más preeminente entre los puntos de la agenda de los sindicatos y los políticos. En particular, los sindicatos deberían jugar un papel más activo profundizando en el problema a través de estudios más detallados, que tomaran como punto de partida la experiencia cotidiana de las personas afectadas, y deberían desarrollar medidas que dieran respuesta a los intereses de dichas personas. ; This contribution deals with the question of the e xistence of "working poor" in the Netherlands. The rest of the world tends to see the Netherlands as a success story. It is against this background that we investigate whether there are people in the Netherlands that are in paid employment, but are nevertheless confronted with problems of poverty. The statistical data available at the macro-level give clear indications of the e xistence of "working poor". In the light of this fact the issue of the "working poor" should be given a more prominent place on the political and trade union agenda. The trade unions, in particular, should play a far more active role. They should make more detailed studies of the problem, taking as their starting point the day-to-day experience of those affected, and should design measures that are commensurate with the interests of these people.

This contribution deals with the question of the existence of 'working poor' in the Netherlands. The rest of the world tends to see the Netherlands as a success story. It is against this background that we investigate whether there are people in the Netherlands that are in paid employment, but are nevertheless confronted with problems of poverty. The statistical data available at the macro-level give clear indications of the existence of 'working poor'. In the light of this fact, the issue of the 'working poor' should be given a more prominent place on the political and trade union agenda. The trade unions, in particular, should play a far more active role. They should make more detailed studies of the problem, taking as their starting point the day-to-day experience of those affected, and should design measures that are commensurate with the interests of these people.