The need for a skilled, motivated and effective workforce is fundamental to the creation of the built environment across the world. Known in so many places for a tendency to informal and casual working practices, for the sometimes abusive use of migrant labor, for gendered male employment and for a neglect of the essentials of health and safety, the industry, its managers and its workforce face multiple challenges. This book brings an international lens to address those challenges, looking particularly at the diverse ways in which answers have been found to manage safe and productive employment practices and effective employment relations within the framework of client demands for timely and cost-effective project completions. Whilst context, history and contractual frameworks may all militate against a careful attention to human resource issues this makes them even more deserving of attention.
Work and Labor Relations in Construction aims to share understanding of best practice in the industries associated with construction and related activities, recognizing that effective work organization and good standards of employee relations will vary from one location to another. It acknowledges the real difficulties encountered by workers in parts of the developing world and the quest for improvement and awareness of some of the worst hazards and current practices. This book is both critical and analytical in approach and seeks to alert readers to the need for change. Aimed at addressing practical issues within the construction industry from a theoretical and empirical standpoint, it will be of value to those interested in the built environment, employment relations and human resource management.
Chapter 1. Introduction Janet Druker, Geoffrey White and Dale Belman Chapter 2. Social Dialogue in the Argentinian Construction Industry Hernán Ruggirello and Janet Druker. Chapter 3. Evolving Employment Relations in the Australian Construction Industry Alex Veen and Susan McGrath-Champ Chapter 4. The Brazilian Construction Industry: Informality and qualification in question Marcella Piccoli and Carlos Diehl Chapter 5. The German Construction Industry at the Crossroads Gerhard Syben and Christian Beck Chapter 6. Formality and Informality in sub-Saharan Africa and the Ghanaian construction industry Divine Kwaku Ahadzie, Yaw Debrah and George Ofori Chapter 7. Labor Management in the Lebanese Construction Industry Samar Kleib, Fida Afiouni and Issam Srour Chapter 8. The Russian Construction Sector: Informality, labor mobility and socialist legacies Ekaterina Serezhkina, Claudio Morrison and Olga Cretu. Chapter 9. Sustaining ‘high road’ Employment Relations in the Swedish and Danish Construction Industries Jens Arnholtz and Christian Lyhne Ibsen Chapter 10. Self-employment and Labor Relations in the UK Construction Industry Janet Druker and Geoffrey White Chapter 11. Creating a Sustainable Industry and Workforce in the U.S. Construction Industry Dale Belman and Russell Ormiston Chapter 12. Conclusions Geoffrey White, Janet Druker and Dale Belman
Dale Belman is a Professor in the School of Human Resources & Labor Relations at Michigan State University, USA. Janet Druker is Emeritus Professor in the Business School at the University of Westminster London, UK. Geoff White is Emeritus Professor of Human Resource Management in the Business Faculty at the University of Greenwich, UK.
