Suchergebnisse

The aim of this study is to analyse the content of the industrial relations system concerning employment protection and how the development relates to the Swedish model. Has it changed fundamentally between 1995 and 2012 and have those changes meant that the regime has changed too, or have they been in line with the model, and the model thus malleable? How have changes been made politically acceptable? Have the economic crises of the 1990s and the 21st century paved the way? Judging from the evidence, there have been comparatively few changes to employment security in Sweden and the changes made have either been in line with the model, or if not, made in times of severe crises which made it possible for social democrats and trade unionists to argue for the changes, and made in a way that was in line with the model, i.e. mutual agreements.

This dissertation explores the transformation of the industrial relations regime in Sweden during the 1990s. Four areas are studied; industrial relations of the growing service sector, industrial relations of small enterprises, effects of re-regulation and introduction of competition on industrial relations in telecommunications service and internationalisation of industrial relations in the metal sector, showing that in the 1990s, the labour market regime of Sweden changed into a new regime, as a result of altered conditions caused by the third industrial revolution. The changes took place within a certain context and were governed by a strong path dependence. The internationalisation or Europeanization of the economy, foremost the upsurge in ingoing foreign direct investments, increased the Swedish industry's dependence on non-national actors and economy. The employers and the trade unions had strong incentives to come to an agreement (the Industrial Agreement in 1997), to achieve international competitiveness. The increasing dependence on (Western/European) trade and investments caused additional adjustments of industrial relations. The Europeanization of the political decision making process (EU membership) had also an impact, to which was added liberalisation, abandoning monopolies etc, but the effect were not as substantial as that of (economic) internationalisation.