Strategies for Closing the Representation Gap in Micro and Small Enterprises
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A Service of Leibniz-Informationszentrum econstor Wirtschaft Leibniz Information Centre Make Your Publications Visible. zbw for Economics Serrano, Melisa; Xhafa, Edlira; Webster, Edward; Bischoff, Christine Working Paper Strategies for closing the representation gap in micro and small enterprises Global Labour University Working Paper, No. 10 Provided in Cooperation with: The Global Labour University (GLU) Suggested Citation: Serrano, Melisa; Xhafa, Edlira; Webster, Edward; Bischoff, Christine (2010) : Strategies for closing the representation gap in micro and small enterprises, Global Labour University Working Paper, No. 10, ISBN 9789221238164, International Labour Organization (ILO), Geneva This Version is available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/96390 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Documents in EconStor may be saved and copied for your Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. personal and scholarly purposes. 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Editorial Board Sharit K. Bhowmik (Tata Institute of Social Sciences, India) Hansjörg Herr (Berlin School of Economics and Law, Germany) Frank Hoffer (International Labour Organisation) Mariano Laplane (University of Campinas, Brazil) Seeraj Mohamed (University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa) Helen Schwenken (University of Kassel, Germany) Contact Address Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Recht Berlin IMB - Prof. Hansjörg Herr Badensche Str. 50-51 D-10825 Berlin E-mail: [email protected] www.global-labour-university.org Layout: Harald Kröck Strategies for Closing the Representation Gap in Micro and Small Enterprises Melisa Serrano and Edlira Xhafa Edward Webster and Christine Bischoff GLU | Strategies for Closing the Representation Gap in Micro and Small Enterprises Copyright © International Labour Organization 2010 First published 2010 Publications of the International Labour Office enjoy copyright under Protocol 2 of the Universal Copyright Convention. Nevertheless, short excerpts from them may be reproduced without authorization, on condition that the source is indicated. For rights of reproduction or translation, application should be made to ILO Publications (Rights and Permissions), International Labour Office, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland, or by email: [email protected]. The International Labour Office welcomes such applications. Libraries, institutions and other users registered in the United Kingdom with the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP [Fax: (+44) (0)20 7631 5500; email: [email protected]], in the United States with the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923 [Fax: (+1) (978) 750 4470; email: [email protected]] or in other countries with associated Reproduction Rights Organizations, may make photocopies in accordance with the licences issued to them for this purpose. ILO Cataloguing in Publication Data Serrano, Melisa; Xhafa, Edlira; Webster, Edward; Bischoff, Christine Strategies for closing the representation gap in micro and small enterprises / Melisa Serrano and Edlira Xhafa, Edward Webster and Christine Bischoff ; International Labour Office, Global Labour University (GLU). - Geneva: ILO, 2010 65 p. (Global Labour University working papers ; No.10) ISBN: 9789221238157; ISDN 9789221238164 (web pdf) ISSN : 18660541 International Labour Office workers representation / trade union / trade unionization / small enterprise / microenterprise / developed countries / developing countries 13.06.7 The designations employed in ILO publications, which are in conformity with United Nations practice, and the presentation of material therein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Labour Office concerning the legal status of any country, area or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. The responsibility for opinions expressed in signed articles, studies and other contributions rests solely with their authors, and publication does not constitute an endorsement by the International Labour Office of the opinions expressed in them. Reference to names of firms and commercial products and processes does not imply their endorsement by the International Labour Office, and any failure to mention a particular firm, commercial product or process is not a sign of disapproval. ILO publications can be obtained through major booksellers or ILO local offices in many countries, or direct from ILO Publications, International Labour Office, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland. Catalogues or lists of new publications are available free of charge from the above address, or by email: [email protected] Visit our website: www.ilo.org/publns Printed in Switzerland II GLU | Strategies for Closing the Representation Gap in Micro and Small Enterprises ABSTRACT The process of increasing informalisation of the labour market is creating a gap between trade unions and a growing number of workers who have no forms of collective representation at their places of work. This has been labelled the Representational Gap. In part this gap is the result of a trend towards the decentralization of production and the accompanying outsourcing of workers to a third party. In other cases it has arisen from the trend towards casualisation, part-time and temporary employment relationships. It is sometimes a result of retrenchment of workers in the face of international competition and the drive to cut labour costs. The result of these processes is a growing number of workers engaging in survival type activities in micro and small enterprises (MSEs). In particular workers in these workplaces have no form of collective representation. This project was designed to identify obstacles and opportunities for closing this representational gap. The study was comprised of three phases. The first phase of the study involved an examination of the interdependent relationship in MSEs between labour and social protection legislation and organizational and representational strength (Xhafa, 2007). In this phase of the study, Xhafa looked at the obstacles and positive experiences in achieving better protection and representation for workers in MSEs. It did so by analyzing cases where, on the one hand, new legal regulations opened up better possibilities for organizing MSEs and where, on the other hand, organizing activities/strategies led to changes in legislation or law enforcement. This framework provided the background for the second phase of the project. The second phase of the study consisted of eleven country case studies and it aimed at elaborating further the dynamics between labour and social protection, and the ability of unions to organize and represent workers in MSEs. The report was divided into two parts. The first part covered the major trends in the MSE’s in the eleven countries, the regulatory framework identified in these countries and the responses of the state, employers and trade unions to compliance with that regulatory framework. The data for this component of the report was derived from in-depth interviews by the researchers with the key actors in government, employers associations and trade unions in the eleven countries. The second part of the report was a presentation of the findings of the implementation of a semi-structured questionnaire amongst workers in a purposive sample of MSEs in the eleven countries. In all the questionnaire was implemented to 191 respondents and their responses were used to construct a common data base of information on the demographic characteristics of those interviewed and indicators of a decent work deficit were constructed to measure the level of workplace security. This