HRMT20029: Comparing Employment Relations in France and Denmark

This report critically evaluates and compares the roles of the state in the employment relations systems of France and Denmark. It examines the economic and employment conditions of both countries, highlighting the influence of state interventions, collective bargaining, and flexicurity models. The report analyzes key indicators such as GDP, unemployment rates, and union density, providing a detailed comparative analysis of industrial relations, legislative frameworks, and the impact of state policies on employment opportunities. The report also explores the significance of training programs and employee representation in shaping the employment landscape of each country. The findings reveal the differing approaches of France and Denmark, offering valuable insights into the complexities of international employment relations and the impact of state involvement in fostering positive employment outcomes.

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INTERNATIONAL EMPLOYMENT
RELATIONS
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Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................2
Main context................................................................................................................................................2
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................10
Reference...................................................................................................................................................11
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Introduction
This paper critically evaluates the comparison and evaluating the role played by the state in the
system of employment relations in France and in Denmark. The structure of the paper describes
the facts and figures of France concerning its economic and employments conditions, the second
part reflects the facts and figures about Denmark and then the third part reflects the effective
contrasting and comparing of the facts between these two countries. State interventions are
believed to be vital in the development of the French employment relations and it effectively
reflects the traditional reluctance of diverse employers along with the unions for using controlled
agreements. The state act as the main employer, which then offers nearly concerning 5 million
services to the people and these facilitate in exerting influence on the diverse pay rates accessible
within the private sector. Few of the significant roles of the state seriously reflect that the
employer chair meetings desires to be held monthly as to understand the desired needs in the
expansion of the employment relations. There are two figures provided in the paper in order to
understand the desired comparison between the two countries regarding the role of the state in
the development of the employment opportunities. Furthermore, it becomes vital to understand
that the role of the state is of great importance in enhancing the employment relations for their
respective countries.
Main context
In order to make the desired comparison between the roles played by the state in the
development of employment relations in France and Denmark, the effective analysis of these two
countries becomes more important. France is supposed to be the world’s 6th largest country in
terms of economic power concerning GDP (Amable, 2016). The population size of the country
refers to an approximately of 63.8 million have a labor rate of market participation of nearly
63%. There exists crucial role of the state in the system of employment relations in France. State
interventions are supposed to be crucial in the development of the French employment relations
and it effectively reflects the traditional reluctance of different employers and the unions for
using voluntary agreements. It becomes important to understand the desired change in actions
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taken by the state as to enhance the employment conditions throughout the concerned nation. As
per (Armstrong & Taylor, 2014) it has been seen that the unions have pressed mainly for the
legislations when the left was in ascendancy. A development of the close link was found in
between the industrial law as well as the outcomes of the collective bargaining and in occurred in
the 1960s. The industrial laws are seen to be based on the desired content of the collective
agreements or the different types of the outcomes of tripartite discussions (Benach et al., 2014).
Moreover, the state acts as the major employer, which offers near about 5 million services to the
concerned people and these helps in exerting influences on the different pay rates offered within
the private sector. A crucial change in the actions led by the state brings out major changes
towards the development of the employer's relations throughout the entire nation. Different
opportunities have been provided in order to enhance the effectiveness of the living conditions of
the people.
Figure: Comparative Figures of working life in France
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A comparative figure evaluates the fact that the GDP of France in 20010 was 27,400 and it got
raised up to 30,400 in the year 2015. Moreover, it has brought elevation in the change in the
unemployment rate; it was supposed to be 9.3 in total which got raised up to 10.4 which signifies
a change up to 1.1 within 5 years from2010 to 2015. The economic background critically
evaluates the fact that between the year 2010 to 2015, there has been a significant increase in the
desired GDP rate of 10.9% of France and this is supposed to be slightly below the EU average
for the similar period of 13%. Moreover, this situation critically gave rise to the number of
unemployment, in particular for men it was 1.8 percent. For youth, it was 1.4 percent. This
brings out the need of state in bringing up the number of job opportunities within France that will
help in extending the employment relations (Brewster & Hegewisch, 2017). The employment
figure for France was mainly available for the concerned metropolitan areas.
The industrial relations critically evaluate the desired fact that the industrial relations throughout
France were always dominated and tensed by the strong involvement of the law and state. Few of
the facts from previous years reflect the domination of the industrial relations by the state and
concerned law. Few of the evidence will help in bringing out more industrial relations facts, such
as in the year 1884, the law eventually recognized the desired freedom of association and then
other laws concerning collective bargaining were effectively passed in 1919. The first step
towards the generalization and extension in the coverage was achieved by the law in the year
1950. In 1971, there was an establishment of collective bargaining at the inter-sectoral (cross-
industry). Finally, “Auroux laws” of 1982 created collective bargaining at the desired workplace
and it also established the annual obligation for negotiating wages and work on time. There
exists a traditional lack of the mutual recognition among the different social partners which could
demonstrate the interventionist's roles and responsibilities of the state throughout social and
industrial matters (Brewster et al., 2017). The state is effectively losing all its influence as the
desired regulator within an internationalized economy and in the same ways as the preferred
regulator of labor. Therefore, it becomes more important to understand its desired role in
managing the industrial relations throughout the entire country. According to (Campbell &
Pedersen, 2014) in few of the decades, there has been the development of the decentralized
bargaining system, which provides more amount of autonomy from the nation or sectoral
collective agreements and the labor legislation.
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Relying on the dimension of the corporation, an employer has to, unless precise in a different
way by a sectoral and social agreement, pay among 0.55 as well as 1.60% of the payroll to a
specialized Joint Collecting organization (OPCA). OPCAs are characteristically put up by
division; there are presently 21 sectoral OPCAs within a place. The arrangement of training is
supposed to be more important in order to develop the skills within the concerned employees as
to bring out more positive results for the entire organization. According to (Chung, 2015) in
France, in line with the recent development of the vocational training programs, from January
2015 all workers will contain an individual teaching account applicable from at what time they
first connect the labor marketplace to when they leave. A worker who changes jobs or alternates
among work, as well as unemployment, will keep his or her true to preparation. This agreement
will restore the entity Right of Training, which was produced in 2003, in addition, to being
hardly ever used (Crouch, 2014). There is another data which critically evaluates different facts
and responses on the employee representation within the enterprises. The successive French
government and authorities have effectively established a wide range of representative bodies at
the different enterprise level. Below mentioned are few of the most important data that will help
in understanding the facts and figures which will help out in making the desired comparison
between Denmark and France.
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Figure: Comparative figures of Demark
Denmark has practiced major global awareness connecting to development in the Danish labor
marketplace. This has particularly been the desired case in a glow of the so-called flexicurity
replica that dominates that marketplace. Flexicurity is supposed to be characterized – at the
smallest amount in theory – by the particular relation among flexibility, communal security as
well as active labor marketplace policy, wherever a high stage of social safety is seen as a
condition for a work noticeably characterized by elasticity (Euwema et al., 2015).
Bargaining levels
In Denmark, all significant issues connecting to the service relation, like the wage, working
circumstances, training along with pension are synchronized by the community associates during
recurring communal bargaining (Fagan et al., 2015). Most important levels are primarily sector
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as well as company level that cooperates according to a decentralized centralization scheme.
Collective agreements are generally binding.
Articulation
Interlink among the middle level as well as local/business level is resolute by the salary scheme
in the division. In this minimum-wage region (which cover 85%) only the smallest amount salary
augment is settled at a middle level, whereas the real wage increase is bargain at the corporation
level. Thus, the least amount wage established within the sectoral agreement barely ever reflect
the genuine pay level in the company (Geppert et al., 2015). Wages, though, can too alter
depending on division or the marketplace circumstances of the corporation.
Timing concerning bargaining rounds
Collective bargaining within the private as well as the public sectors occurs within the first
section, commencement in January. Subsequently, the close of conformity within the private
sector, discussions start throughout the companies. The legitimacy of a combined conformity has
ceaselessly been among 2 to 4 years relying on the financial perspectives. In Denmark, all aspect
of running life is the focus to collective bargaining. As per (Ibsen, 2016) in addition wage along
with working time, teaching, life-long knowledge, additional training, paternity run off, learning
leave, option for the free-time, depart throughout sickness, a child’s primary sick day, older days,
pressure, as well as annoyance is part of the bargain program. Throughout the last two decades,
the concerned subjects that are used to be synchronized by legislation contain also appear in the
combined agreement, counting leave, pressure as well as harassment.
The comparison between the roles of the state played in France and in Denmark critically
evaluates the development of the more employment opportunities as to enhance the effectiveness
of the entire country concerned. As per (Kim, 2017) bargaining at the national level critically
provides the desired framework having much of the Danish International system of relations for
Denmark, whereas the collective bargaining effectively took place at the national industry along
with the company level and there are efficient detailed rules in order to negotiate with the
concerned requirements having a valid agreement. For France as compared with Denmark, the
industrial relations are supposed to be crucial in terms of negotiation with the numbers covered,
moreover, the rates are being set those are what actually paid. Moving to next, for Denmark, the
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pay along with the conditions are effectively negotiated among the unions or the cartels of the
employees and unions at the concerned industry level. Overall it has been found that the more
than 80% of the employees are effectively covered by the collective bargaining (Rodan, 216).
The proportion of Denmark and France of employees in unions is 67% for Denmark and 8% for
France. There has successive establishment of the different governmental bodies by the French
government; these governmental bodies are workplace delegates, work councils, union branches
and collective bargaining at the respective workplaces. The article (Kornelakis, 2016) reveals
that the state needs to bring out the most effective work activities in evaluating the effectiveness
of the development of the employment relations. The French work delegates are not supposed as
the union representatives, however, in general practice majorities are elected on the union
platform. Moreover, the workplace union delegates are efficiently appointed by the concerned
local union branch. The unions are present in 38% throughout the private sector having more
than 20 effective employees. The union density is supposed to be high in Denmark as compared
with that of France and it has two-third of the concerned workforce which also fallen in the
recent years. As per (Leisink & Bach, 2014) there are three of the main confederations in
Denmark as compared with France; they are LO, FTF and the Akademikerne which was
previously known as AC. Considering the membership terms, it is a matter of fact that the trade
unions movement is considered as the one weakest within Europe having 8% of the employees in
the unions. It is mainly divided into a wide number of the different rival confederations such as
the CGT, CFDT, FO, CFTC, and CFE-CGC. On comparing with that of the role played by the
state in Denmark, France evaluates the fact that French trade unions have stronger support in
elections for employee representatives also these are able to mobilize the French workers
towards a great effect (Pfau-Effinger, 2017). Few of the important roles of the state critically
reflects that the employer chair meetings need to be held monthly as to understand the desired
needs in the development of the employment relations. Many of things can easily be compared
between these two of the countries regarding the role played by their respective state in the
development of employment relations. It has been found that in every three months the French
employers are effectively required for informing the desired work councils of the state of
respective corporations: outputs, orders and the finances (Leruth et al., 2017). Moreover, it is a
matter of fact that France is well known for maintaining its exceptional employments relations
and therefore, it becomes very important to understand the desired role of the state. The French
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employment relations are mainly characterized by the lower amount of social dialogue as well as
great interventions of the concerned state. According to an researched data, the 2007 reports
evaluate the fact that French GDP growth, productivity growth, unemployment rate and
inflation does not have larger differences from EU averages (Marginson, 2016). The
demographics and the legal political environment have played the most important role in
influencing the employment relations in France. Moving towards the role of the state it has been
evaluated that the state has primarily aimed for participating in developing comprise instead of
imposing decisions. The use of the Aubry Law has boosted the collective bargaining at the
sectoral as well as enterprise levels, as it has helped in encouraging employers and unions for
negotiating the agreements concerning wages and supporting recruitment (O’Reilly, 2014). In
enhancing the skills of the concerned employees, it becomes more important for the state to bring
out the most skilled persons to execute the respective work processes. The state government in
France has brought out the national system for ensuring skills as well as employability programs
and on the other hand, there exists a crucial difference between the role of the state played from
France and for Denmark. The national system in France which ensures skills and the increase in
the percentage of employability opportunities reflect that all of the employers I the funding
process. The representation of the European-level is important and it needs to be analyzed
effectively for these two of the countries concerned. The cooperation committee selects most of
the employee representatives for EU level bodies (Virtanen et al., 2013). There exists one
exception that is related to the board level of the representatives within EJU Company and they
must be elected with the help of the workforce in Denmark, whereas the EU representatives in
France are appointed by the concerned unions (Wilkinson et al., 2014). As compared with the
system of Denmark, the one exception of this is the board level representatives within the EU
Company where the concerned representative bodies decide the desired method of their
selection.
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Conclusion
The essay contrast and compares the desired role played by the state in the development of the
employment relations. There exists crucial requirement to understand the growth in the GDP
rate, production rate and the employment opportunities practiced in both of these countries. The
proportion of Denmark, as well as France of employees in unions, is 67% for Denmark and 8%
for France. There has consecutive establishment of the diverse governmental bodies by the
French government; these governmental bodies are workplace delegates, work councils, union
branches and collective bargaining at the particular workplaces. In France, the state becomes the
key employer which serves jobs to more than 5 million of the public service employees and this
exerts effective influence on the different pay rates included in the private sector. Moreover, the
paper also concludes that in France the state legislates increasing in the national minimum
wages. The use and the development of the industrial laws are merely based on the content of the
collective agreements. Moreover, the research paper will help in understanding the need and the
importance of the role of the state of these two countries in developing the employment relations.
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