Employer associations: collective bargaining,services and power in historical perspective: the case of the EEF in the UK

ABSTRACT

This paper makes two major contributions: firstly, following on recent research, it offers a more detailed critical analysis of the historical role and structure of Employers’ Associations (EAs), concentrating on a detailed analysis of the range of member services offered by a local Employers’ Association within the Engineering Employers Federation (the EEF) during the 1970s. This focus is in contrast to the literature which has concentrated on the EAs national or ‘central peak’ level. It secondly addresses the ‘countervailing power’ hypothesis, and in so doing it illustrates the key roles of the disputes procedure. The study, as a typical or representative case, uses a qualitative methodology of documentary research combined with triangulation interviews of former officials: evidence which has so far not been prominent in the literature. This paper is, therefore, a significant addition to our understanding of these institutions.     

Family Representative Payeeship and Violence Risk in Severe Mental Illness

Although representative payeeship is prevalent among people with mental illness and shows promise to positively influence clinically relevant outcomes, research also suggests this legal mechanism could be implemented in ways that are problematic. The current study examined whether family representative payeeship was associated with elevated risk of family violence perpetrated by persons with severe mental illness (SMI). Data were collected every 4 months for 1 year in structured interviews with N = 245 persons with SMI who received disability benefits. Multivariate analyses showed that substance abuse, history of violence, frequency of family contact, and family representative payeeship were associated with elevated odds of family violence. Analyses also showed family contact and family representative payeeship had a cumulative effect on increasing the predicted probability of family violence (controlling for covariates such as violence history and substance abuse). The data shed light on the potential for family representative payeeship to be associated with increased risk of interpersonal conflict and violence in SMI.     

论城市牛皮癣的综合治理

"城市牛皮癣"不仅影响了城市环境的美观整洁,严重污染了市容市貌,也使一些制贩假证件、假文凭、私刻假印章、兜售假发票等不法活动日益猖獗,扰乱了正常的社会秩序,侵害了国家、集体的公共利益和有关单位的合法权益。要彻底根除"城市牛皮癣",还都市靓丽形象,必须标本兼治,综合运用行政、法律、舆论、教育等手段,动员城管、公安、电信、市民等一齐动手,举全社会之力,打一场围剿"城市牛皮癣"的"人民战争"。     

谈“关系犯”的危害及治理

"关系犯"是与监狱机关或监狱人民警察有某些利害或利益关系而受到特殊处遇的罪犯."关系犯"的存在,具有巨大的危害性.它严重干扰、破坏监内改造秩序;影响罪犯的改造;破坏执法的公平与公正;腐蚀监狱人民警察队伍;削弱监狱惩罚改造罪犯功能的发挥.对此,必须高度重视,采取综合措施进行治理.必须从体制上入手,实行监企分开;要大力加强队伍的思想建设和管理教育;要加强制度建设,严格依法治监.     

中国养老制度设计问题与认识反思

当下的中国养老制度在服务体系定位、志愿者服务、居家养老服务、政府示范性养老基地建设、乘车优待与尊老金等制度安排和养老协议等诸多方面的合理性存在不少疑点。如养老服务体系"以家庭照料为主,社区照料为辅,机构照料为兜底"可能更加准确;志愿者服务只能作为养老服务之补充,而决不能作为制度性养老服务安排;示范性养老基地配置的设备主要是满足入住的普通老年人的基本生活需求,而绝不应该是专为极少数老年权贵服务的高级养老院等等。社会形成的老年服务市场非常广大、老人独居问题严重、不应轻老重幼等共识也有反思的必要。随着陌生社区的形成和城市建设中养老障碍的增加,校正政策制定中的价值取向对当下中国尤为重要。     

Scenes from a mall: Retail training and the social exclusion of low-skilled workers

In this article we examine how post-industrial Britain and Denmark undertake vocational training for low-skilled retail workers. Specifically, we evaluate whether leaders in training skilled industrial workers are also doing the best job with low-skilled service workers. While Danish retail is increasingly becoming a haven for low-skilled workers, British workers are gaining in skills levels with the transition to services even in the retail sector. While some suggest that social democratic countries have sacrificed the political interests of low-skilled workers in order to protect core manufacturing workers, we find no evidence of this. Rather, the high expectations of vocational training in Denmark have forged barriers to the easy admission of low-skilled service workers, while the British system provides more entry points for vocational training at different levels. The structures of coordination that had narrowed the gap between white-collar and blue-collar manufacturing workers during the industrial age are creating new cleavages in the post-industrial economy.     

社团组织的发展路径研究：基于公共服务参与的考察

有关社团组织的发展与管理问题一直是我国学术界和政府管理部门的讨论热点.既有的研究和观点较为一致,大多集中在既有的体制钟罩限制了我国社团组织的兴起和发展等方面.社团组织的发展路径研究已经成为和谐社会建设的一个重要课题.从内生发展的角度来看,体制钟罩并未完全限制社团组织的活动与成长空间,制约我国社团组织发展壮大的根本性因素在于作为社团组织赖以生存和发展的公民社会这一基础性条件的缺失.在建设和谐社会的战略背景和当前我国政治社会语境下,有关社团组织的发展与管理问题的研究应当从实践逻辑的视角出发,即从社团组织参与公共服务的角度探察我国社团组织的现实发展路径.     

陕西污水处理产业化若干问题研究

污水处理产业化,就是投资主体多元化、运营主体企业化和运行管理的市场化。陕西水资源总量不足,水污染严重,水资源短缺已对全省经济社会发展造成严重制约。政府需要调整思路、转变职能,大力推进污水处理的产业化。建设城市污水处理厂是治理水污染的根本途径,BOT模式是污水处理厂建设和运营的有效方式,重点是解决好污水处理产业化过程中的几个重要问题。     

法律援助在实践中存在的问题及对策——以苏州市为例

我国法律援助制度自20世纪90年代初建立以来,得到了长足发展,各地不但设立了法律援助机构,而且还拥有了一批素质较高的法律援助队伍。本文以地方建设法治化政府的实践为例,分析了苏州市法律援助的特点,认为地方政府应从人民群众最关心、最直接、最现实的利益问题入手,不断加强和改进法律援助这一政府职能,为社会提供积极有效的法律服务。     

刑事强制医疗的对象界定与程序完善

《刑事诉讼法》及相关司法解释、部门规章对刑事强制医疗制度进行了系统的程序规制,但在强制医疗对象范围上依然需要与其他部门法做好衔接,在一些具体程序规定上还有待进一步修正.刑事强制医疗属于实现社会防卫的保安处分措施.要实现这一法律功能,并兼顾人权保障的立法任务,需要合理界定强制医疗的对象范围,依据正当性标准完善其程序规定.