Congress Program

Time Table of Activity

Program Information

    Five tracks under the overarching theme of Global Integration and Challenges for Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management in the Twenty-First Century. Each track will include plenary sessions and related workshops. The Congress will feature a number of Special Seminars. Poster Sessions will also be arranged to make it possible for authors of communication papers to display and discuss their work informally, provided the necessary arrangements are made with the Congress Secretariat before October 31 1999. The IIRA Study Group Meetings will have the opportunity to meet immediately after the Congress, on 2 June 2000.

Pre Congress

    The Pre-Congress will be hosted by the Japan Institute of Labour (JIL) for non-Japanese participants in the IIRA World Congress. The purpose of the Pre-Congress will be to introduce the present situation of, as well as future challenges to, Japanese practices in industrial relations and employment, which are undergoing substantial changes brought on in the globalization of the economy.
    The program will consist of two sessions. The morning session will be a symposium on present practices in industrial relations and employment in Japan, to be followed by discussions among the participants. The scheduled panelists will include top representatives from the country's leading labor and employers' organizations, the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (RENGO) and the Japan Federation of Employers' Associations (Nikkeiren), as well as government officials from the Ministry of Labour.
    A visit to a production site is scheduled for the second, or afternoon, session. The participants will first hear explanations on current practices in industrial relations and employment and future problems from management and trade union representatives within the company. They will then have an opportunity to exchange views with these representatives. A field trip to the production site is also scheduled.
    A reception will then be held at Keio Plaza International Tokyo. This will serve as an opportunity for Pre-Congress participants and Japanese representatives from labor, employers' organizations and government officials from the Ministry of Labour to exchange opinions.

1.	Theme: The present situation and future problems of Japanese practices in industrial relations and employment
2.	Time and date: 10:00-21:00, Monday, May 29, 2000 (registration at 9:00)
3.	Program:
	i)	Symposium (10:00-12:00)
		-	Venue: LINC Hall of the JIL (five-minutes' walk from the venue for the IIRA World Congress)
		-	Keynote speakers: Mr. Kiyoshi Sasamori, Secretaly General, Japanese Trade Union Confederation Mr. Michio Fukuoka, Director General, Japan Federation of Employers' Associations Mr. Shiyohei Ito, Administrative Vice Minister, Ministry of Labour
		-	Coordinator: a journalist
	ii)	Visit to and exchange of opinions at a production site (12:30-18:30, including transportation by bus)
		-	One company each selected from the automobile, electric appliance, food processing, and distribution industries.
		Participants are kindly requested to indicate their interest on the Congress Registration Form. You may be placed in a visit site other than your first or second choice in the event your first two choices are filled. The assigned visit sites will be notified at the Congress Registration Desk at Keio Plaza Inter-Continental Tokyo
	iii)	Reception(19:00-21:00)
		-	Venue: Hana 4F Keio Plaza Inter-Continental Tokyo
4.	Participants: non-Japanese participants in the Congress (limit: 150 persons)
5.	Languages: English and Japanese
6.	Pre-Congress Registration fee: 6,000 yen per person (including participation in the symposium, transportation for the firm visit, interpretation, a light meal, and participation in the reception)

General Theme

Global Integration and Challenges for Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management in the Twenty-First Century

Objectives of the Theme
    As we approach the twenty-first century, many developments have taken place, which directly or indirectly, have influenced industrial relations. The most important of these are the various ways in which the world is moving toward "integration," such as the end of the Cold War, market expansion, the development of information technologies such as the Internet, and cross-border movements of capital and workers. Attention is therefore focused on how each country is adapting itself to these changes while maintaining diversity in its industrial and employment relations.
    Another noteworthy development is the economic change in emerging and developing Asian countries. In many respects, Asia is becoming a center in which many changes originate and influence other parts of the world. However, the late 1990's economic difficulties among many Asian countries show that the region may be in for a period of turbulence. Few countries are immune from the implications of such developments. These may influence not only each country's industrial structure but also its employment and industrial relations. The trend towards greater globalization will create pressures for change in the status quo and may require new theoretical approaches to analyze these changes. We are about to enter a new era which is uncertain, but which offers considerable opportunities.

Themes of the Tracks

Exploring Trends in Employment Relations and New Approaches to Work in the Twenty-First Century

General Rapporteur:

Russell D. LANSBURY, University of Sydney, Australia

Chairperson:

Csilla KOLLONAY LEHOCZKY, Central European University, Hungary

    Revolutionary advances in new information technologies, most notably the Internet, have, in an extremely short time, precipitated many changes in most industries, labor practices, and people's lives around the world. A new industrial system is emerging to replace the system of mass-production industries that dominated the twentieth century, and its far-reaching effects give it a depth and magnitude which make it worthy of a "new" industrial revolution.
    However, the actual situation-the changes in industries brought about by these new technologies and the influences on labor practices-is not yet entirely clear. One reason may be the unprecedented speed with which these changes are taking place. In conjunction with changes in technologies, the way we work is also changing substantially. We must therefore try to take into account the newly emerging work patterns, including non-market labor. We also hope to study the different approaches to employment and work in the twenty-first century.

Plenary Session, Invited Papers

Arne L. KALLEBERG, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA, Eileen APPELBAUM, Economic Policy Institute, USA, Thomas BAILEY, Columbia University, USA, Peter BERG, Michigan State University, USA
Do High Performance Work Systems Pay Off: Impacts on Organizational Performance and Workers' Attitudes

Alice LAM, University of Kent, UK
Skills Formation Systems in the Knowledge-based Economy: Transformation Pressures in European High-technology Industries

David MARSDEN, London School of Economics, UK
The Employment Relationship and the Limits of 'Deregulation'

Kazuya OGURA, The Japan Institute of Labour, Hiromasa SUZUKI, Waseda University, Japan
Development of Atypical Forms of Employment: How Japan Differs from European Countries (France, in particular)

The Impact of Globalization on National and Regional Systems of Industrial Relations and Employment Relations

General Rapporteur: William BROWN, University of Cambridge, UK
Chairperson: Thomas A. KOCHAN, MIT, USA

    Economic globalization has transcended national borders and spread to state levels, rocking the foundations of traditional industrial systems that once differed sharply from country to country. Regions are stepping up their mutual alliances, with trade agreements such as NAFTA and APEC, and dynamic changes are taking place. Moves to seek international standards sometimes conflict with the sovereignty of national states, and rules for corporate behavior and industrial relations can no longer ignore these changes that are taking place.
    Changes are also taking place in the behavior of companies and workers, the key players in economic activities. It can also be argued that, with the expansion of global competition, the issues of ownership and governance (who owns the company and who runs it), in parallel with industrial relations, are being transformed.
    Globalization is accompanied by the further expansion of market principles, and these new principles, such as survival of the fittest and increasing disparities between rich and poor, are becoming more and more common. There remain numerous aspects to study, such as gaps between advanced countries, between developing countries, and between advanced and developing countries.
    The time has also come to examine, along with the influence of globalization, changes in the status of the issues mentioned above, as well as the theory and practice of industrial relations that traditionally was unique from one country to another.

Plenary Session, Invited Papers

Tayo FASHOYIN, ILO, Switzerlands.
Labour Regulation and Workplace Relations in Southern Africa

Timo KAUPPINEN, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Ireland, Philippe POCHET, Observatorie Social Europeen, Belgium
Globalisation, EMU and Industrial Relations in EU

Berndt KELLER, Universität Konstanz, Germany
The Emergence of Regional Systems of Industrial Relations and Employment Relations: The Case of the European Union in Comparative Perspective

José PASTORE, University of São Paulo, Brazil
Labor Standards and International Trade: The Case of Child Labor in Brazil

Changing Patterns of Employee and Union Participation: Toward New Systems of Industrial Relations?

General Rapporteur:

Harry C. KATZ, Cornell University, USA

Chairperson:

Friedrich FÜSTENBERG, Universität Bonn University, Germany

    Since the industrial revolution, labor unions have contributed substantially to expanding the rights of workers and improving their lives. Recently, however, the status of labor unions has diminished considerably in many advanced nations. While efforts are being made to reverse this, we need to re-evaluate, at this point, the foundation of labor unions and their strategies. A new representation system replacing the conventional union organization format is being tested in several countries. More investigations are called for to study industrial relations and HRM in the non-organized sectors that now employ the majority of workers. In the latter half of the 1980s, the words "worker participation" became popular not only with respect to having a voice in management and operations, but also with respect to participating in the sharing of corporate profits and capital ownership. The issue of examining worker representation is an interesting topic which allows for multilateral approaches.

Plenary Session, Invited Papers

J. B. BHATTACHARYA, Burdwan University, India
WORKERS' PARTICIPATION IN MODERNISING DURGAPUR STEEL PLANT

Satu KALLIOLA, University of Tampere, Finland
A New Challenge for Trade Unions - The Co-operational Modernization of Municipal Services in Finland

Paul-Andre LAPOINTE, University of Laval, Canada
Participation and Democracy at Work

Anil VERMA, University of Toronto, Caroline L. WEBER, Queen's University, Canada
Employee Participation in Canadian Establishments: Union/Non-union Differences and Spillover Effects

Keith WHITFIELD, Rick DELBRIDGE, Cardiff University, UK
Employee Perceptions of Job Influence under 'New' Forms of Participation

Search for Flexibility, Fairness and Prosperity: Alternative
Employment Policies in the Twenty-First Century

General Rapporteur:

Lena GONÄS, National Institute for Working Life, Sweden

Chairperson:

Charles NUPEN, ILO, South Africa

    The expansion of global competition is expected to invigorate the sluggish world economy and bring about new hope in the twenty-first century. On the other hand, we must also look squarely at negative aspects, including the aging of society, poverty, widening income differentials, and population increases beyond levels the world economy may be able to support.
    There are many tasks at the micro-level as well. Under changing conditions, such as shorter work hours and an increasing numbers of older workers, people must plan how to strike a balance between work and family life. People's primary concerns in life are also changing. They must therefore redraw the image of labor to accommodate changes in conditions. It is important to provide payments and employment assistance to unemployed workers who have been excluded from job opportunities. Even more important, however, are policies actively to create employment opportunities.
    The world's industrial map is being redrawn along with the development of new technologies and the increasing competitiveness of developing countries in Asia and elsewhere. Upon which industries can we depend for jobs? Deregulation is gaining momentum, and governments all over the world play a crucial role in steering the course of labor market policies. While making markets more lively generates business opportunities, it also prevents some people from riding those waves. How should we prepare a social safety net for these people? Numerous tasks remain, including studying ways to train people to help them make the smooth transitions to new occupational opportunities.

Plenary Session, Invited Papers

Henning JRRGENSEN, Aalborg University, Denmark
From Deregulation to Co-regulation

Ram Reddy REGURI, Kakatiya University, India
Flexibility and Fairness in Indian Labour Policy: A Study of Social Protection Programs

Diane-Gabrielle TREMBLAY, Télé-universite Université du Québec, Canada
Work-Family Balancing : How to Reconcile Work and Family while Ensuring Fairness and Equality for Women?

Anni WEILER, University of Goettingen, Germany, Mia HEIKKINEN, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Ireland
Equal Opportunities and Collective Bargaining in 15 European Countries

Asia in the Twenty-First Century: Challenges and Opportunities in Work and Labor

General Rapporteur:

Joseph S. LEE, National Central University, Taiwan

Chairperson:

Muneto OZAKI, ILO, Switzerland

    The image of "growing Asia," common in the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s, has now been replaced by "unstable Asia." After rapid economic growth and a bubble period in the 1980s, large parts of Asia have experienced financial crisis in the late 1990s. The current situation of some ailing Asian countries is serious. Restoring rapid economic growth on the Pacific Rim will require something more than an ability to clean up the mess that has resulted from economic collapse. Those countries which cannot respond properly will find themselves caught in a long period of stagnation.
    Despite these difficulties, many Asian countries have potential dynamic power which affects not only the Asian region but also has tremendous impact on the world's industrial structure. Industrial structures among Asian countries are being reorganized at an alarming pace. This is bringing about rapid change in the labor sector. As long as the labor costs of some Asian countries are their only weapon, they are viewed by their trade competitors as a threat that cannot be overlooked. Examining changes in the labor world that the Asian challenge creates, and how countries respond to these changes, are essential tasks not only for workers and managers on the threshold of a new century, but also for researchers.

Plenary Session, Invited Papers

Greg BAMBER, Kaye BROADBENT, Peter ROSS, Griffith University, Australia
Perspectives on Changing Employment Relations in Asia

Christopher L. ERICKSON, UCLA, Sarosh KURUVILLA, Cornell University, USA
Industrial Relations and the Asian Economic Crisis: An Analysis of the Short Term Impacts and Long Term Implications for Industrial Relations Systems

Charng KAO, Chung Hua Institution for Economic Research, Taiwan, Joseph S. LEE, National University, Taiwan, Yasuo KUWAHARA, Dokkyo University, Japan
A Comparison of Labor Management Relations of Foreign Subsidiaries from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and U.S. in Mainland China

Tadashi NAKAMURA, Foundation of Development for Workers' Welfare, Japan
Social and Labour Agenda in the First Half of 21st Century in Asia

Young-bum PARK, Hansung University, Korea, Sununta SIENGTHAI, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand
Financial Crisis, Labor Market Flexibility and Social Safety Net for Workers

Malcolm WARNER, University of Cambridge, UK
The Future Of Chinese Industrial Relations: A Critical Evaluation In Its Asia Pacific Regional Context

Special Seminars

Poster Session

    Authors who submitted Communication Papers, if they wish, will be given opportunities to display and discuss their papers informally with Congress participants in the Poster Sessions. The Congress organizer will provide them with space and a cardboard easel. Other arrangements, such as materials and equipment for a presentation, will have to be prepared by the presenters.

IIRA Study Groups

    Study group meetings are scheduled for June 2 at the JIL Research Institute at Kamishakujii, an hour from Shinjuku.

Other Meetings of interest

Intermediate Institutions Meeting

Regional and local development of work and labour and the role of the intermediate institutions
Monday, May 29, 14:00-17:00
Venue: t.b.a.

Coordinator:

Volker Telljohann Institute for Labour Foundation Via Marconi, 8 40122 Bologna Italy E-mail: v.telljohann@ipielle.emr.it Tel: +39-051-6564211 Fax: +39-051-6565425

Meeting of Editors of Industrial Relations Journals

Tuesday, May 30, 2000, 17:30- 18:30
Venue: t.b.a.

Chair/Contact:

Marco BIAGI University of Modena, Italy Managing Editor of the International Journal of Comparative Labour Law and Industrial Relations E-mail: biagi@unimo.it Fax: +39-051-236482

Workshop on Trade Union Innovation

Friday, June 2, 2000 9:00-17:00
Venue: t.b.a.

Coordinators:

Peter FAIRBROTHER, Cardiff University, UK <Peter.Fairbrother@BusEco.monash.edu.au> Gregor MURRAY, University Laval, Canada <gregor.murray@rlt.ulaval.ca>

Forum for researchers to exchange on strategies and experiences in union renewal: new organising and membership retention, new forms of servicing, structural innovations, bargaining and political strategies, crossborder coordination, assessment of successes and failures and obstacles to renewal.

Meeting of the Gender and IR Network

Friday, June 2, 2000 09:00-11:00

Venue: t.b.a.

Coordinators:

Lise Lotte HANSEN Roskilde University Centre CAT1/Social Sciences Basic Studies Postbox 260 DK-4000 Roskilde Denmark E-mail: Liselh@ruc.dk Phone:+45 46 74 29 53 (direct)/+45 46 74 29 55 (secretary) Fax:+45 46 74 30 38

EIRONLINE

The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions will present EIRONLINE which can be accessed through the internet website: http://www.eiro.eurofound.ie. It contains information and analysis on the most important issues in industrial relations in the 15 EU Member States and Norway, and the overall European level.
Date: Tuesday, May 30, 17:30-18:00
Venue: t.b.a.

Coordinators:

Timo KAUPPINEN, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Ireland

Social Program

Welcome Reception

Date & Time:	Tuesday, May 30 18:30 - 20:30
Venue:	Concord Room, Keio Plaza Inter-Continental Tokyo
Fee:	Free

Please join and enjoy the reception. All registered participants and accompanying persons will be welcomed to the reception.

Japan Night

Date & Time:	Wednesday, May 31 18:30- 20:45 Doors open: 18:30 Performance: 19:15
Venue:	National Noh Theatre
Fee:	¥6,000

Japan Night is scheduled for Wednesday, May 31, and it will feature traditional drama, Noh, at the National Noh Theatre, a program specially prepared for the IIRA 12th World Congress.
Please note that applications for Japan Night will be on a first-come, first-served basis and will close when the number of participants reaches the maximum.

What is Noh?

The theatrical art of Noh is designated by the Japanese government as an important intangible cultural treasure. A traditional form of exalted performing, Noh traces its origin to the fourteenth century. It comprises music, dance and drama and is a form of mask play. Compared with the masks once used in Greek theatrical presentations, they are small, covering only the face, and are regarded as the very core of Noh. There are various types, but by adjusting the angle of the mask, actors can express a gamut of emotions. Though the performance of Noh is rather restrained, its simplified, subtle motions express profound meanings.

National Noh Theatre

The National Noh Theatre opened its doors in September 1983 as a branch of the National Theatre, which was opened in November 1966 by the Japanese government. The National Noh Theatre, which promotes and preserves the art of Noh, engages in a variety of activities. It sponsors monthly performances features, programs and public lectures, and exhibitions of masks, costumes, research materials, photos, etc. The Theatre also administers a training program for young performers of the art, and undertakes research and documentation in regard to Noh. When not in use for its own programs, some of the facilities are available to the general public. The National Noh Theatre is utilized in many ways on behalf of the realm of Noh.

Acoompanying Person's Program

Tuesday, May 30

09:30-10:45		Opening Ceremony
13:00-17:00		Tokyo Afternoon (Please see below (AP-1) for details)
18:30-20:30		Welcome Reception

Wednesday, May 31

13:00-16:30

Japanese Culture Afternoon (¥9,000) (Please see below (AP-2) for details) -Experience of Classical Tea Ceremony and Flower Arrangement-

Thursday, June 1

18:00-19:00

Closing Ceremony

AP-1: Tokyo Afternoon

Date:		Tuesday, May 30 13:00 - around 17:00
Fare:		Free; Included in registration fee for accompanying person

Application:

Please fill in the Application Form for Hotel Accommodations and Tours

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:
Enjoy a panoramic view of the city and Tokyo Bay from a seaside observation platform. Ride on a sightseeing boat up the Sumida River. Then visit Asakusa Kannon Temple with its bustling arcade of souvenir shops. Drive through Ginza, the most celebrated shopping and amusement district in the Orient. Depart from and return to Keio Plaza Inter-Continental Tokyo.

AP-2: Japanese Culture Afternoon

Date:		Wednesday, May 31 13:00 - around 16:30
Venue:		Keio Plaza Inter-Continental Tokyo
Fare:		¥9,000 per person

Application:

Please fill in the Application Form for Hotel Accommodations and Tours

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:
Enjoy classical tea ceremony and flower arrangement, an opportunity to experience the host nation's traditional charm.

WHAT IS IKEBANA?
    In contrast to the purely decorative form of flower arranging popular in Western countries, the art of ikebana, or Japanese flower arrangement, seeks to create a harmony of linear construction, rhythm, and color. The entire structure of a Japanese flower arrangement is based on three main lines that symbolize heaven, earth, and humankind.

What is the tea ceremony?
    The tea ceremony, or chanoyu, involves preparing matcha, a powdered green tea for guests according to custom and enjoying its austere taste quietly and serenely. It was given its original form around the middle of the fourteenth century.
    The spirit of the tea ceremony, developed under the influence of Zen Buddhism, has been described by such terms as calmness, rusticity, gracefulness. The strict canons of chanoyu etiquette, which at first glance may appear to be burdensome are in fact carefully calculated to achieve the highest possible economy of movement. When performed by an experienced master, they are a delight to watch.