From Phil Almond and Anne-marie Greene re Professorial Redundancies at De Montfort University:

From Phil Almond and Anne-marie Greene re Professorial Redundancies at De Montfort University:

As many of you will be aware, on 3rd May all three professors in the Department of HRM, Leicester Business School at De Montfort University, were handed redundancy letters. The rationale given for these redundancies was that DMU wants to align research with areas of high student recruitment and growth in teaching, and “employment relations” is apparently not one of those research areas.

Many of you will note the irony of this happening in an institution that set up a research centre in comparative employment relations (CERC) less than a year ago, where the Department made the largest contribution to the REF2014 submission for UoA19 in the School and was on track to do so again for REF2021, and where members of the department have brought in substantial research income. The Department had a vibrant and productive research community within our research group CROWE (Contemporary Research in Organisations, Work and Employment)-one of the few places in the UK where an employment relations research group still exists. For a small group, we thought we were doing quite well. Obviously, in retrospect, too well.

This redundancy came as a complete shock to us, which we are all still now struggling to come to terms with. This has not been made any better by the utter brutality of the treatment of DMU in their consultations with us. We were forced to make a decision about voluntary redundancy within 3 weeks of the initial notification. There have been no proper objective reasons given for our redundancies. They have refused to allow us to continue being involved in the supervision of our PhD students, including those who are coming to their last year of registration. Finally, there has been no communication to the Department or the School about our redundancies.

A number of people in the field, have offered support in some kind of collective response, and we thank you for this. However, after what has been a very difficult period, we have each taken the decision to take voluntary redundancy as the only option in the circumstances. In many respects, we have no interest in trying to save our jobs within an institution that does not want the kind of research that we do. We will all be leaving the University on June 30th.

This is a very sad end to our time at DMU and a very sad outcome for employment relations as a field of study. We are extremely anxious about the future for our colleagues left behind in the Department and students of our courses left behind at DMU. You will no doubt have seen the recent advertisement for L/SL in HRM at DMU, including reference to research within the job description, only 2 weeks after our voluntary redundancy applications were accepted. The utter callousness of this action aside, we have to say that we cannot see how DMU can be a place where research active academics in our area could have a future, and would recommend to potential applicants and their mentors/advisers that they investigate the situation carefully.

…
Phil Almond will be joining Loughborough University London as Professor of International Management, and will remain active in employment relations research, including through his roles with the CRIMT network. CERC supporters will be contacted shortly about future developments.

Anne-marie Greene will be joining the University of Leicester as Professor of Work, Employment and Diversity on September 1st 2017 and can be contacted in the intervening period on profamg@gillam-greene.com
…

We will continue to defend research in our field in any way we can.

25th June 2017

BUIRA 2017 Conference Schedule

BUIRA 2017 Conference Schedule

BUIRA Conference 2017, Portsmouth, 28^th-30^th June

We are looking forward to to the BUIRA conference next week at the University of Portsmouth.Please check the updated version of the conference schedule by following this link xxxx

Further information about the conference is available here:

http://www.port.ac.uk/portsmouth-business-school/events/buira-2017/

25th June 2017

Message from Peter Ackers

I'm leaving De Montfort University at the end of this June & this is my new  email address: peter.ackers1@virginmedia.com

As you may be aware, all 3 Professors in the HRM Department were put into a Redundancy process.

I am taking retirement, but plan to continue writing on British IR & Labour History (broadly defined), including Hugh Clegg & Pluralism & Biography & Autobiography more widely.

19th June 2017

BUIRA 2017 Conference

BUIRA Conference 2017, Portsmouth, 28^th-30^th June

We are very much looking forward to welcoming BUIRA members next week to the University of Portsmouth for the 2017 annual conference.

The conference will include two plenary sessions. The first plenary, on the implications of 'Brexit' for employment relations, will take place in the afternoon of Wednesday 28 June, and will include contributions from Professor Charles Woolfson (Linköping University) and Hannah Reed (TUC). The second plenary, on the 'gig economy', will take place in the afternoon of Thursday 29 June, and will include contributions from Dr Alex Wood (Oxford), Uma Rani (ILO), Jeremias Prassl (Oxford) and Mags Dewhurst (IWGB).

The conference also features two special symposia: one on Kelly’s Rethinking Industrial Relations; and another on alternatives to state socialism.

Please remember to register for the conference in advance.

If you don't register by Thursday 22nd June, then we cannot guarantee that you will be able to attend the Conference Dinner on the evening of Thursday 29th June.

This is because the venue, which is in the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, is part of the Naval Base, and we are required to supply the names of delegates to the venue in advance (for security reasons).

Details of BUIRA 2017, including the conference schedule, can be obtained from the BUIRA website:

https://www.buira.org/conference/7

Further information about the conference is available here:

http://www.port.ac.uk/portsmouth-business-school/events/buira-2017/

Registration and campus accommodation can be arranged through the Portsmouth online store:

http://onlinestore.port.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/portsmouth-business-school/organisation-studies-and-hr/british-universities-industrial-relations-association-buira-annu

BUIRA Conference 2017, Portsmouth, 28^th-30^th June

We are very much looking forward to welcoming BUIRA members to the University of Portsmouth for the 2017 annual conference.

The conference will include two plenary sessions. The first plenary, on the implications of 'Brexit' for employment relations, will take place in the afternoon of Wednesday 28 June, and will include contributions from Professor Charles Woolfson (Linköping University) and Hannah Reed (TUC). The second plenary, on the 'gig economy', will take place in the afternoon of Thursday 29 June, and will include contributions from Dr Alex Wood (Oxford), Uma Rani (ILO), Jeremias Prassl (Oxford) and Mags Dewhurst (IWGB).

The conference also features two special symposia: one on Kelly’s Rethinking Industrial Relations; and another on alternatives to state socialism.

Please remember to register for the conference in advance.

If you don't register by Thursday 22nd June, then we cannot guarantee that you will be able to attend the Conference Dinner on the evening of Thursday 29th June.

This is because the venue, which is in the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, is part of the Naval Base, and we are required to supply the names of delegates to the venue in advance (for security reasons).

Details of BUIRA 2017, including the conference schedule, can be obtained from the BUIRA website:

https://www.buira.org/conference/7

Further information about the conference is available here:

http://www.port.ac.uk/portsmouth-business-school/events/buira-2017/

Registration and campus accommodation can be arranged through the Portsmouth online store:

http://onlinestore.port.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/portsmouth-business-school/organisation-studies-and-hr/british-universities-industrial-relations-association-buira-annual-conference

al-conference

19th June 2017

Conference schedule now available

The schedule for the 2017 Conference is now available ow.ly/kbbw30cvQZH

12th June 2017

BUIRA Vacancies

NOTICE TO ALL MEMBERS

The BUIRA Executive Committee will have 4 vacancies as from July 2017.

As discussed and agreed at the AGM in Leeds 2016, the voting system for vacancies on the Executive Committee will be conducted differently.

As from this year we now invite all members to forward their interest in becoming a member of the BUIRA Exec Committee to BUIRA admin through admin@buira.org

All members are welcome to apply regardless of career stage i.e. early, senior etc

Please include a short biography of no more than 300 words and your reasons for applying for the vacant position.

2nd May 2017

BUIRA ​conference 2017: The Changing Face of Industrial Relations: New Borders, New Frontiers

BUIRA conference 2017: The Changing Face of Industrial Relations: New Borders, New Frontiers

BUIRA conference 2017: The Changing Face of Industrial Relations: New Borders, New Frontiers

Portsmouth, 28th-30th June 2017

A reminder that the deadline for submission of abstracts is 17th February 2017.

Abstracts of papers (500 words max) should be submitted via the BUIRA website:

https://www.buira.org/conference/7

Registration for BUIRA 2017 in Portsmouth is now open.

Please visit our website for details of the conference fees and how to register, information about the conference location (the University of Portsmouth Business School), suggestions for accommodation in Portsmouth and travel information.

http://www.port.ac.uk/portsmouth-business-school/events/buira-2017/

There is a link on this page to the online store for the purposes of registration and payment.

You can also use the online store to reserve campus-based accommodation in Rees Hall (overlooking Southsea Common and the seafront), with a single en-suite room with breakfast costing £45.00 per night.

16th February 2017

INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON TEAMWORKING

INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON TEAMWORKING 21: PUTTING

KNOWLEDGE INTO TEAM DESIGN

Trondheim, Norway, 7 and 8 September 2017

Call for papers

Teams remain important building blocks in organization design, and are set up to perform a wide variety of functions and tasks. IWOT aims for cross-disciplinary interaction and welcomes papers that deal with all aspects of team working from different theoretical perspectives and methodologies.

For IWOT 21 we particularly welcome papers on the following themes:

1. Creating knowledge through teamwork: The creation of knowledge, fundamental to organizational learning and innovation, is a collective activity. Knowledge creation may happen spontaneously as people from different backgrounds come together, or may be planned for by establishing parallel team structures and providing the necessary infrastructure and support. We welcome papers on both knowledge creation processes and how knowledge-creating teams are embedded in the wider organization.

2. Team working in knowledge-intensive organizations: Knowledge-intensive organizations face an environmental complexity that demands cross-functional teams, multi-teams and/or virtual collaboration across loose organizational boundaries. These organizations should be flexible and find ways to support and regulate teams' autonomy contingent on environmental demands and limitations. The multi-team context implies that there are dependencies to other teams, while the distributed context incurs that the teams must deal with geographical dispersion of team members, teams or units.

3. Team working in industry: Ideas about team working have had a major impact on shop-floor work organization through concepts such as socio-technical design, lean production and continuous improvement. In the modern industrial organization, teams are also widely used to perform additional functions such as product design, product development and R&D. Furthermore, project teams are set up to deal with non-routine tasks and complex problem solving such as implementing new technology or exploring new business opportunities. We welcome theoretical reflections and empirical studies on both classical topics and new developments, for instance on how digitalization creates new possibilities for interaction or how calls for sustainability increase the number of team stakeholders and issues that need to be taken into account.

Deadlines and submission

Abstracts should be no more than 750 words. Please forward abstracts to jonas.ingvaldsen@iot.ntnu.no

Deadline for submission of abstracts: May 1

Decisions on acceptance/reject: May 15

Submission of full paper: August 15

About the workshop

For more information about the workshop, please see our web site at: https://iwotblog.wordpress.com/

8th February 2017

Call for papers: special issue of Economic and Industrial Democracy on Trade Union and Democracy

I would like to ask to include the announcement of this call for paper in the next BUIRA News:

Call for Papers – Special Issue of ‘Economic and Industrial Demcoracy’ on Trade Unions and Democracy, in memory of Giulio Regeni 

The Special Issue is edited by Lucio Baccaro, Chiara Benassi and Guglielmo Meardi. Contributions from/on non-western countries and from early-career researchers are particularly welcome. 

For details:

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/wbs/research/irru/hp-contents/call_for_papers-regeni.pdf 

Guglielmo, Lucio and Chiara

3rd February 2017

CfP Special Session: Crisis, Post-Crisis & Employment Relations ESA RN17 conference in Athens 2017

We would like to invite you to participate in the 2017 European Sociological Association (ESA) Conference, which will bring together many distinguished researchers.

Research Network 17 of the ESA on Work, Employment and Industrial Relations organizes panels and sessions on various topics, themes and debates in the field of work, employment and industrial relations at the ESA 2017 conference.

The conference will be held in Athens (Greece) from 29th August to 1st September 2017.

See the conference website: www.esa13thconference.eu

Participants will find a good opportunity for presenting new research, exchanging information and discussing current issues in the field of Work, Employment and Industrial Relations. 

Although we encourage submissions on the general theme of the 2017 ESA conference "(Un)Making Europe: Capitalism, Solidarities, Subjectivities", other submissions from the research network field - theoretical or empirical - are highly encouraged.

Abstract submission deadline: 1st February 2017

Abstract submission platform: www.esa13thconference.eu

If you have further questions on the conference, please visit the conference website or contact us directly:

Bernd Brandl, University of Durham (Email: bernd.brandl@durham.ac.uk)

Valeria Pulignano, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium (Email: valeria.pulignano@soc.kuleuven.be)  

We are looking forward to seeing you in Athens in 2017.

11th January 2017

Call for Proposals, LERA Winter Meeting, Philadelphia, January 2018.

 Labor and Employment Relations Association Call for Symposia & Paper Proposals LERA 2018 Winter Meeting, Philadelphia, PA January 5-7, 2018 (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday)

For full information: https://lera.memberclicks.net/2018-call-for-proposals-lera-winter-meeting

" Robust Labor Markets and Employment Relationships: Policy and Research"

Submission Deadline: Submit to the LERA website by March 9, 2017 (without exception)

In an era of growing inequality, long-term unemployment, and widespread low-wage work, the LERA Program Committee seeks proposals offering original and high-quality research related to the theme, Robust Labor Markets and Employment Relationships: Policy and Research for its winter meeting held in conjunction with the Allied Social Sciences Association (ASSA). We also welcome proposals on a broad range of other topics, including labor and employment relations, labor market regulation, social insurance, economic justice, technology and work organization, human resource studies, and organizational practices (such as pensions, health insurance, and work-life balance), as well as topics of current interest or related more generally to the mission of LERA. We encourage submissions from multiple academic disciplines and from the perspectives of multiple stakeholders, including workers, managers, and unions.

Proposed sessions should include a total of 7 participants with either 1 chair, 3 presenters, and 3 discussants OR 1 chair, 4 presenters, and 2 discussants. The Committee also accepts individual paper proposals, although preference is given to session submissions.

In order to give a paper at a LERA session, presenters must be current in their LERA membership. (Join LERA http://www.LERAweb.org/join-lera.) Proposals that include participants with diverse gender, ethnic, institutional and geographic backgrounds will be favored.

Papers presented in LERA symposia at the 2018 LERA Winter Meeting will be invited to be published in the LERA Proceedings. Visit the LERA website for complete information about our Proceedings and submission requirements.

To submit an online proposal, visit https://lera.memberclicks.net/2018-call-for-proposals-lera-winter-meeting. To give the program committee an understanding of the proposed panel, we request that symposia organizers provide:

• Symposium title
• Brief abstract describing overall theme of the session
• Listing of session participants, their affiliations, their role in the session, and their email addresses
• Paper titles and brief paper abstract for all papers to be presented in the session

Proposals must be submitted or reach the LERA Office no later than March 9, 2017. Contact LERAoffice@illinois.edu with questions.

LERA Program Committee for the LERA 2018 Winter Meeting in Conjunction with ASSA/AEA

Jeannette Wicks-Lim, Co-Chair, University of Massachusetts-Amherst; Susan Houseman, Co-Chair, W.E. Upjohn Institute; Katharine Abraham, University of Maryland; Teresa Ghilarducci, The New School for Social Research; Barry T. Hirsch, Georgia State University; Alex Mas, Princeton University; Larry Mishel, Economic Policy Institute; Samuel L. Myers, University of Minnesota; Jesse Rothstein, University of California, Berkeley; Till Von Wachter, UCLA; William Spriggs, AFL-CIO and Howard University; and Sanford Jacoby, Co-Chair, University of California, Los Angeles (ex officio)

21st December 2016

Wedderburn Papers, Modern Records Centre, Warwick University

The cataloguing of the Wedderburn Papers is progressing well. See:

 https://warwickmrc.wordpress.com/

 BUIRA members contributed generously (the largest single group of individuals - in numbers and money raised) but the appeal is ongoing as the target was not reached. Anyone wishing to contribute can contact the Modern Records Centre directly or me at: paulsmithblist@hotmail.co.uk

25th November 2016

BUIRA Conference 2017- Call for papers

The Changing Face of Industrial Relations: New Borders, New Frontiers

 University of Portsmouth, Weds 28th – Fri 30th June 2017

Call for papers now open – until 3rd February 2017

The theme of BUIRA 2017 is the Changing Face of Industrial Relations: New Borders, New Frontiers. The conference will take place a little over a year after a referendum which resulted in a narrow vote in favour of the UK leaving the European Union (EU). Therefore it will provide an ideal opportunity for participants not only to explore and discuss the future of industrial relations in the UK outside of the EU, but also to consider the portents for industrial relations in Europe and around the world in general. New borders may be springing up, and existing borders hardening, but the frontiers of industrial relations continue to be pushed back, and extended, in some notable ways.

Linked to the rise of right-wing populist politics in many parts of Europe, borders between countries have hardened. To what extent, and in what ways, is it now appropriate to contemplate the implications of further European disintegration for industrial relations, rather than integration? 2017 marks the tenth anniversary of the financial crisis. How far has industrial relations been transformed in Europe under conditions of austerity? To what extent do the ‘European social model’ and the EU’s ‘social dimension’ offer an alternative to a neo-liberal paradigm that has been responsible for a dearth of high quality jobs?

To a large extent, the UK vote to leave the EU reflected discontent about stagnant living standards, growing labour commodification, and the adverse consequences of austerity, which many people, influenced by a partisan media, blamed on EU migration. We have seen the rise of irregular working arrangements (including zero-hour contracts), precarious employment, and bogus self-employment, often associated with the rise of the ‘gig economy’. Yet unions and civil society organizations have made considerable efforts to represent, organize and mobilize workers at the sharp end of labour market change. Workers in the ‘gig economy’ are prepared to challenge employers, often in resourceful and imaginative ways, highlighting the continued relevance of labour conflict. What are the prospects for re-regulating industrial relations, and how does re-regulation manifest itself? In the UK, Theresa May’s government has talked about doing more to reduce inequality, putting workers’ representatives on company boards, and tackling abusive working practices.

Yet this coexists with the recently enacted Trade Union Act 2016 which imposes significant additional restrictions on unions. What, then, is the significance of governmental efforts to re-regulate relations? What are the main trends in respect of multi-level regulation? What is the future of supranational regulation in a clearly ailing EU? And how can we better understand global labour governance arrangements?

In discussing questions like these, participants at BUIRA 2017 will play a key part in exploring the changing face of industrial relations. The frontiers of industrial relations as a field of study continue to expand, providing crucial insights into work, employment, and employment relations in twenty-first century societies. We look forward to receiving submissions that reflect this. Although we welcome papers that concern any area of industrial relations, papers concerning topics under the following three headings will be particularly welcome: 

The changing face of industrial relations: a decade of austerity - the crisis and industrial relations in Europe, 2007-17; public sector industrial relations in a time of austerity; managing industrial relations in a financialized, market economy; ‘commodified’ labour – irregular work, precarious employment and bogus self-employment; the changing nature of work and employment; jobs, skills and the quality of work in the low-pay economy; the impact of the National Living Wage; social class, equality and diversity in industrial relations.

New borders in industrial relations: the prospects of European (dis)integration for industrial relations; the politics of the European social model; labour mobility and migrant workers; re-regulating industrial relations – at national, sub-national and supra-national level; devolved government and industrial relations; global labour governance arrangements; the activities of labour movements across national borders

New frontiers in industrial relations: digitalization and digital labour – implications for work, workers, and societies; working, managing and organizing in the ‘gig economy’; new, neglected and emerging actors in employment relations; new and emerging manifestations of labour conflict.

Empirical (both quantitative and qualitative), analytical, conceptual and methodological papers are all welcome. We would particularly appreciate submissions from early career researchers and doctoral students.

Submission details

Abstracts of papers should be submitted by email to: admin@buira.org

Abstracts should be a maximum of 500 words in length and cover the following headings:

Brief outline

Methodology

Key findings

References

Deadline for submission of abstracts: 3rd February 2017.

Abstracts are refereed anonymously by BUIRA Executive Committee members.

Decisions will be notified by late March 2017.

17th November 2016

Journal of Industrial Relations – Special issue on ‘Migration and Work’

The relationship between migration and work has been transformed in recent decades, most notably through growth of temporary and employer-sponsored visa schemes, the introduction and expansion of cross-border labour mobility zones, and geographical shifts in the main sources and destinations of migration. These changes have produced major challenges for governments, business and labour to balance the perceived disruptive impacts of labour migration with the potential benefits.

The Journal of Industrial Relations (JIR) is publishing a special issue on ‘Migration and Work’ in 2019. Potential contributors are strongly encouraged to present their research at one of the symposia that will be organised to provide feedback and assist in the paper development process prior to submission. The first of these symposia will be held in Sydney in February hosted by the University of Sydney Business School’s Migrants@Work Research Group. We expect that a second symposium will take place in Europe in July 2017 (TBC).

The deadline for online submission of papers to the special issue is 1 October 2017.

Full details regarding the Journal of Industrial Relations special issue is available at: 

http://jir.sagepub.com/site/includefiles/JIR_SI.CfP_Migration%20and%20Work.pdf

Questions related to the content and logistics of the symposium should be directed to the organisers, Dr Stephen Clibborn (stephen.clibborn@sydney.edu.au) and Dr Chris F Wright (chris.f.wright@sydney.edu.au). 

28th October 2016

CfP: 24th Int’l Conference of Europeanists, “Sustainability & Transformation” – Glasgow, July 12-14, 2017

Dear colleagues,

The Council for European Studies (CES) at Columbia University invites proposal submissions for the 24^th International Conference of Europeanists on the theme of Sustainability and Transformation. The conference will be held at the University of Glasgow on July 12-14, 2017.

Conference Information:

Questions about the sustainability of European political economies, social solidarity, party systems, values, and the project of European integration abound. With the British voting to leave the European Union, and powerful political forces in other member states pressing for similar moves, the future of the EU is on the line. Many argue: if Europe is to reinvigorate its economy, society, politics, and culture, transformations are necessary.

We invite panels and proposals that investigate the transformations Europe currently faces, as well as the major changes required to respond to them. We also invite panels and proposals that investigate the sustainability of current European policies, dynamics, and an integrated Europe, as well as proposals that explore ways political actors can promote or damage sustainability.

Practical Information:

Proposals may be submitted from August 15-October 4, 2016. Priority will be given to panel submissions. Participants will be notified of the Program Committee’s decision by January 9, 2017. Information on how to submit proposals will be posted on the CES website.

For more details:

• Official call for proposals on our website: http://ow.ly/RZBS3028bS4
• General Conference FAQs: http://ow.ly/ZGZm3028dlH

Contact us via email: events@ces-europe.org

3rd October 2016

Available Position in Labour Relations at Memorial University of Newfoundland

(AACSB International Accredited)

Labour Relations

Competition Number: VPA-BUSI-2016-001

Applications are invited for a tenure-track faculty position in Labour Relations at the rank of assistant professor with a proposed commencement date of July 1, 2017. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. The position is subject to budgetary approval.

The successful candidate will have a demonstrated record of scholarly output in Labour/Industrial Relations, and be able to teach in undergraduate and graduate (MBA, Master of Employment Relations) programs, and support the faculty’s M.Sc. and PhD specializations. The ability to also teach undergraduate and graduate courses in Human Resource Management (HRM) or a track record of HRM research would be an asset.

Applicants should have a PhD in Labour/Industrial Relations or a related field, and a demonstrated commitment to teaching and research in a university environment. Applicants must have demonstrated research productivity commensurate with the rank of assistant professor. If a successful candidate has not completed an earned doctorate, he/she shall be appointed to a regular term, non-renewable three-year appointment at the rank of assistant professor. If the candidate completes all the requirements for the doctorate during the first 24 months of the term appointment, he/she shall begin a tenure-track appointment following completion of the requirements of the degree.

The Faculty of Business Administration is a leader in management education and is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Approximately 1,300 students are registered in the undergraduate programs of the Faculty, with another 200 students completing graduate programs, including a PhD and M.Sc. in Management. For additional information about our Faculty, please visit our web site at www.business.mun.ca.

Memorial University is Newfoundland and Labrador’s only university, and plays an integral role in the educational and cultural life of the province. Offering diverse undergraduate and graduate programs to over 18,000 students, Memorial provides a distinctive and stimulating environment for learning. St. John’s is a safe, friendly city with great historic charm, a vibrant cultural life, and easy access to a wide range of outdoor activities. For further information about Memorial, please visit www.mun.ca.

The deadline to receive applications is November 15, 2016. Applications should include a curriculum vita, cover letter, names and addresses of three references, statements of teaching and research interests, and three selected recent research publications. Please send applications electronically to:

Dr. Wilfred Zerbe, Dean

Faculty of Business Administration

Memorial University of Newfoundland

St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, A1B 3X5

E-mail: deanfba@mun.ca

REFERENCE: VPA-BUSI-2016-001

For further information telephone (709) 864-8851 or fax (709) 864-2467 or e-mail deanfba@mun.ca.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, citizens and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority. Memorial University is committed to employment equity and encourages applications from qualified women and men, visible minorities, Aboriginal people and persons with disabilities.

22nd September 2016

BUIRA is on Twitter and on Facebook!

For the all  latest news, follow BUIRA on Twitter @BUIRAonline and on facebook https://www.facebook.com/BUIRAonline/

19th September 2016

BUIRA Conference timetable and programme

Dear colleagues

The British Universities Industrial Relations Association conference will be taking place from 29 June to 1 July in Leeds.

You are invited to come along to take part in the debate and discussion that will be taking place over these days - even if you are not presenting. We also have three very interesting plenary sessions. There is still time to register - but do so as soon as you can as places will be limited.

Go to www.buira.net

We also have a doctoral workshop on the 28th and 29th (details in the programme) - so please let PhD students know about this.

You can find full details in the conference  programme and timetable on the website under conference

Best wishes

Jane

6th June 2016

BUIRA Conference 2016: details

BUIRA 2016 Conference Details
We look forward to welcoming you to the 2016 British Universities Industrial Relations Association Conference in Leeds
Registration for the conference is now open via this website see conferences above

You need to be a member in order to attend and present at the conference.

We have now automated the BUIRA membership system and this is also now on-line on the website.

As we are currently switching over to this membership system you will be required to pay your annual membership (£40 full, or £20 PhD or associate member e.g. practitioner or trade unionist) alongside your conference registration. After this payment, your membership will automatically be deducted on an annual basis (unless you cancel it). Please, though, make sure you cancel your annual standing order - unless, of course, you want to make an annual donation to BUIRA, which would be very welcome.

Fees:
Membership fees £40 (£40 full, or £20 PhD or associate member e.g. practitioner or trade unionist)
Conference fees (including all meals):
Full members:  £350
Honorary members: £240
Doctoral members: £150

The conference will take place at the The Carriageworks, Millennium Square, Leeds LS2 3AD. This is right in the City Centre and a 10-minute walk from Leeds railway station.

We are also holding a pre-conference workshop on 'Understanding power and strategy for effective organizing' led by Dr Jane McAlevey who is well-known in the American labor movement as the hard-charging organizer who racked up a string of victories at a time when union leaders said winning wasn't possible. See details attached. This will be on Tuesday 28 June 2016, 10am-5.30pm at University of Leeds,

Attendance fees for this event (includes lunch & refreshments) £20

NOTE: places are limited. You must register and pay in advance. Details can be found at the conference tab above

Accommodation
Leeds has a wealth of hotels catering for all budgets ranges. *We strongly recommend early booking of hotel accommodation and the best rates are only available well in advance. Some suggested hotels for the BUIRA conference are listed below:
 

/Park Plaza (****)/, Boar Lane City Square, Leeds - located next to Leeds train station. Price range £100 per night +
http://www.parkplaza.co.uk/leeds-hotel-gb-ls1-5ns/gbleeds

/Radisson Blu Hotel (****)/, 1 The light, The Light, The Headrow, Leeds. Located in the Light complex, Price range £120 per night +
https://www.radissonblu.com/en/hotel-leeds

/Quebecs (****)/, 9 Quebec Street, Leeds, located next to Leeds train station. Price range £80 per night +.
http://www.quebecshotel.co.uk/

/Holiday Inn Express Leeds City Centre/(***), Kirkstall Road, Leeds. 0.5 miles from train station. Price range £100 per night +
http://www.expressleeds.co.uk/

/Hotel IBIS Leeds City Centre/(**), 23 Marlborough Street, Leeds. A0.75k walk from city centre. Price range £60 per night
http://www.ibis.com/gb/hotel-3652-ibis-leeds-centre/index.shtml

Novotel Leeds City Centre (***), 4 Whitehall Quay, Leeds. Located very close to Leeds Train station. Price range: circa £100 per night
http://www.novotel.com/gb/hotel-3270-novotel-leeds-centre/index.shtml

Roomzz Leeds City centre. 10 Swinegate, Leeds LS1 4AG
City Centre, Roomzzz City offers luxury apartments with free WiFi. £89 per night.
http://www.roomzzz.com/leeds-city/

Holiday Inn Express Leeds City Centre - Armouries (***),Armouries Drive, Leeds, LS10 1LE. From £42 per night.
http://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/gb/en/leeds/leecc/hoteldetail

We have arranged dinners for Wednesday and Thursday evenings. The first evening will be at the Leeds city centre Aagrah http://www.aagrah.com/restaurants/leeds-city/

And the official conference dinner will be at the Lakeside Cafe Roundhay Park on Thursday evening. Transport will be provided to and from the conference venue to the Park.

15th March 2016

Cardiff ERU conference and HRMJ special issue - Employers' Organisations and Employer Collective Action

Please find below the call for papers for the 30th Cardiff ERU conference and a special issue of the Human Resource Management Journal. This year’s topic of the conference is ‘Employers Organisations and Employer Collective Action’. The conference will take place on September 15-16, 2016 in Cardiff.

You’ll find the full call for papers and further information on the conference webpage: https://www.eventsforce.net/cbs/171/home

8th February 2016

Call for papers: Special issue of Economic and Industrial Democracy: Global Economic Crisis, Work and Employment

How have work and employment relations been affected by the global economic crisis, and what are the prospects for organisations, workers and economic recovery? This Special Issue provides an opportunity to take stock of developments in work and employment post-economic crisis.  We invite papers that make an important theoretical and/or empirical contribution to our understanding of such issues; international and comparative papers are particularly welcome. You can download the full call for papers here: https://goo.gl/BQ1b3O. The submission deadline is 1 September 2016.  

1st February 2016

Maternity protection in Malaysia: funded places available

Middlesex University is hosting a workshop in Malaysia (27-31 July 2016) under the British Council 's Newton Fund Researcher Links Programme. The workshop is being coordinated with The Centre for Research on Women and Gender (KANITA), Universiti Sains Malaysia. It will have contributions from leading researchers. Its topic is “Advancing Maternity Protection in Malaysia: Meeting Social Welfare and Business Needs, and Contributing to Economic Development”.

Under this Programme, there will be an opportunity for up to 20 Early Career Researchers each from the UK and Malaysia (up to 40 in total) to participate in the workshop. We are now inviting Early Career Researchers from the UK to apply to participate in this workshop.

The application form, with more details on the initiative, is accessible via the following link http://www.mdx.ac.uk/our-research/research-groups/diversity-and-gender

Dr Lilian Miles/Dr Bianca Stumbitz/Prof Suzan Lewis (UK workshop coordinators) Middlesex University Business School Middlesex University The Burroughs London NW4 4BT

1st February 2016

The Oxford University Digital Transformations of Work Conference 10th March 2016

As part of the Green Templeton College Future of Work Programme we are bringing together leading researchers to consider the ways in which digitalisation and the internet are globally transforming work,  employment and labour markets.

This one-day conference features:
• Professor Saskia Sassen (Columbia University) and Professor Linda McDowell (University of Oxford) on digital work and exploitation;
• Professor Guy Standing (SOAS, University of London) and Professor Mark Graham (University of Oxford) on global precarity and the platform  economy;
• Professor Kevin Doogan (University of Bristol) and Professor Jill Rubery (University of Manchester) on the fragmentation of working time;
• Dr Brendan Burchell (University of Cambridge) and Dr Vili Lehdonvirta (University of Oxford) on the fragmentation of employment or the rise of digital entrepreneurship.

The conference will be held at the E.P Abraham Lecture Theatre, Green Templeton College, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6HG. Registration will
open at 9:00 and the conference will run from 10:00-16:30.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided throughout the day.

Attendance is free and open to all but places are limited so please book in advance by emailing: events@oii.ox.ac.uk

For more info visit: http://fow.gtc.ox.ac.uk/event.html

1st February 2016

FLEXIBLE WORK PATTERNS STUDY GROUP MEETING

The 11th ILERA European Congress, will be held in Milan, Italy, from Thursday 8 September 2016 to Saturday 10 September 2016.

The Congress will be hosted in the Faculty of Political, Economic and Social Sciences in the city centre.

The Flexible Work Patterns Study Group will meet at the ILERA 11^th European Congress in Milan, before /during (tbc) the official opening of the congress. The  group covers all aspects of flexible work issues including part-time work, telework, home working, shift work, flexible hours, compressed working week, zero hours contracts and other temporary and flexible arrangements.The aim is to bring together scholars working in this area to network and present work in progress or recently completed.

Abstracts of papers to be presented at the study group are invited on any aspects of flexible working and may be at the macro, organisational or individual level; theoretically based; or on empirical research that is country, region, sector or organisation specific. 

 Abstracts should be approximately 500 words and should include:

  Paper title

  Name(s) of authors, institutional affiliation and contact details

  Aim

  Theoretical/Research framework

  Method

  Findings

  Discussion/Conclusion

Please send abstracts as a word file to clare.kelliher@cranfield.ac.uk; R.Croucher@mdx.ac.uk;  c.edwards@kingston.ac.uk ; by Friday July 1 2016 at the latest. Authors selected to present at the Study Group will be notified as soon as possible.

Coordinators

Professor Christine Edwards
Kingston University Business School
Kingston Hill, Kingston
Surrey KT2 7LB
United Kingdom
E-mail: c.edwards@kingston.ac.uk

Dr Clare Kelliher
Cranfield School of Management
Cranfield University, Bedford MK43 0AL
United Kingdom
E-mail: clare.kelliher@cranfield.ac.uk

Professor Richard Croucher
Middlesex University Business School
The Burroughs
Hendon
London NW4 4BT
United Kingdom
E-mail: R.Croucher@mdx.ac.uk
We are looking forward to reading your abstracts

29th January 2016

Professor Tony Dundon

8th January 2016

Management-Labour Relations and Productivity in the UK’s Fast fashion Industry

The recent growth of apparel manufacturing in the UK – in the East Midlands, the UK’s largest sourcing hub, turnover grew by 60 percent over the last eight years – might feel counter-intuitive given the role of labour costs and price competition in the industry. In this context, the rise of Fast Fashion has been driven by new types of lead firms such as discount and online retailers and has not only resulted in a continuous change in fashion ranges but has also transformed the value chain through a focus on quick response to market opportunities, lean supply chain management, and speed-to-market in design, production and distribution. This presentation focuses on the implications of Fast Fashion for work and employment in the particular context of the UK, specifically that of the East Midlands which account for almost a third of the UK’s apparel industry.

Thank you very much

8th January 2016

FairWRC SEMINAR SERIES 2016: First Semester Programme

FairWRC SEMINAR SERIES 2016: First Semester Programme

The Fairness at Work Research Centre (FairWRC) are pleased to announce a series of speakers on leading issues regarding fairness at work.

17 February 2016

(Joint Seminar with EWERC)

When the law breaks the law: Bargaining or litigation over Police Inspectors’ Working Time

Vicki Wass (University of Cardiff) and Peter Turnbull (University of Bristol). Room F17, AMBS East

24 February 2016

(Joint Seminar with EWERC)

Young Workers and the Trade Union Movement

Andy Hodder (University of Birmingham). Room F20, AMBS East.

9 March 2016

Performance Management - The (Not So) New Workplace 'Tyranny'

Phil Taylor (University of Strathclyde). Room F17, AMBS East.

16 March 2016

Bullying and Behavioural Conflict at Work: The Duality of Individual Rights

Lizzie Barmes (Queen Mary University of London). Room F17, AMBS East.

20 April 2016

You don't have to be mad to work here: Trends and politics of mental health at work in the context of the privatisation of mental health services

Elizabeth Cotton (Middlesex University). Room F20, AMBS East.

All seminars will be held at Alliance Manchester Business School East (AMBS East), Booth Street East, Manchester: and will take place between 1pm-2.30pm.

Contact: fairwrc@manchester.ac.uk Twitter: @fairwrc

8th January 2016

Geoffrey Stuttard (1920-2013)

Geoffrey Stuttard (1920-2013)

Geoffrey Stuttard, a long-standing and active member of BUIRA, died at his home in Midhurst on 16 November 2013. We have only just been notified of his death.

Born in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, in 1920, Geoffrey graduated immediately after the War from Cambridge, where he had studied English under F.R. Leavis. He then dedicated his life to trade union education, making a distinction, however, between the liberal education of trade unionists and trade union education itself. His own lifelong interest was in the former – the liberal education of trade unionists – which he pursued in a wide variety of settings. He began by working for the Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) in 1948, becoming WEA Resident Tutor Organiser for South West Essex, before joining the Extra-Mural Department of London University in 1954, finishing his career as Senior Staff Tutor for Industrial Relations in 1986, and going on to teach at the University of Cambridge until he was 80. He lived in Chigwell until the death of his wife, Anka, after over 60 years of marriage, and then moved to Midhurst and married his second wife, Sylvia Roper, in 2008.

Geoffrey worked with numerous unions in a variety of different companies, notably Plesseys and Fords, and industries, including the docks and railways. He was a prolific broadcaster on both radio and television on industrial relations issues. In addition, along with Michael Barratt Brown, he wrote and edited a series of fourteen books for shop stewards entitled Trade Union Industrial Studies, which in total sold some 250,000 copies. In 1969 he published his book Work is Hell: An Anatomy of Workplace Clichés and in 1975 Learning from Industrial Relations. Geoffrey was a founding member of the Society of Industrial Tutors in 1968, and played a significant role in the development of BUIRA. To begin with, BUIRA had run lecture series involving little scope for member discussion. When he was elected to the BUIRA executive, he helped set up discussion groups at the Annual Conference which then spread to other parts of the country. Geoffrey ran London BUIRA from 1971 to 1986, when he handed over to staff from what is now the University of Westminster. However, he attended regularly right up until his move to Midhurst, in his late 80s, at a time when he was a leading figure in the University of the Third Age.

In 2006 we interviewed Geoffrey, inviting him to reflect on his life and experiences. Four interviews were published in the journal, Post-16 Educator, nos. 48-51 (between November 2008 and May 2009). He concluded: “If I was asked what we were trying to do, most of the time, it was to provide people with choices which they wouldn’t otherwise have. That’s really been the driving force for me all the time. I’m not saying what you should choose, but to give you the chance to choose if you want to, and this feeling of exclusion from so many choices by so many people. It’s still there actually”.

Michael Gold

Linda Clarke

15 January 2016

8th January 2016

Warwick-Acas Lowry Lecture: 11th April 2016, 5.00pm

You are invited to attend the 2016 Lowry lecture, organised by the Industrial Relations Research Unit together with Acas, in memory of Sir Pat Lowry. The speaker for this fifteenth lecture in the series will be John Cridland, former Director General at CBI. The provisional title for his lecture is ‘Reflections on employee relations’.

We do hope that you will be able to join the invited audience of senior employment relations practitioners, policymakers and academics for the lecture, commencing at 5pm on Monday April 11^th. The lecture will be held at WBS London at the Shard and will be followed at 6.30pm by a reception. Attendance at the lecture is by invitation only and numbers are restricted.

Could you please email irruoffice@wbs.ac.uk by Monday 21^st March to confirm your attendance.

Details of the location of the lecture at the Shard and how to reach WBS in London will be provided nearer the time.

8th January 2016