Japanese and British telecommunications system: A comparative industrial relations analysis

Fuke, Hidenori (1977) Japanese and British telecommunications system: A comparative industrial relations analysis. MLitt(R) thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This is a comparative study of industrial relations between NTT(1) and the telecommunications side of the P.O.- R.P. Dore(2) made point-by-point comparisons on industrial relations between Japan and Britain taking two private firms, i.e. HITACHI and English Electric and characterises the differences as 'organisation- oriented' Japanese system and 'market-oriented' British system. The aim of this study is to make clear not only the differences between NTT and the P.O. but also the differences between the public and private sectors by fitting NTT and the P.O. onto the scale showing the differences Dore found between HITACHI and English Electric, However it is not possible to give a total picture of industrial relations in NTT and the P.O. as Dore did because this study is concentrated on institutional and material differences. Firstly, the organisation of telecommunications in Japan and Britain is taken up and five important features which will be relevant in the later discussions are extracted. They are (a) scale, (b) monopoly positions (c) technological uniformity and changes, (d) government control and (e) centralisation. Then the industrial relations of NTT and the P.O. are compared on five aspects, i.e. (a) employment system, (b) wages and other conditions of work, (c) union structure and membership, (d) management organisation for industrial relations and (e) collective bargaining structure. In order to show the differences not only between NTT and the P.O. but also between the public and private sectors, a four point spectrum for each of the thirteen most important features on five aspects mentioned above is created and given explanations as follows: (1) Dore contrasted the low mobility of HITACHI workers to the high mobility of English Electric workers. Although the P.O. workers show higher mobility than NTT workers, the turnover rates of NTT and the P.O. workers are lower even than those of HITACHI workers. (2) Dore found that while there is not a clear-cut difference in status between staff and manual workers in HITACHI, there are considerable differences between them in English Electric, However, there is not a clear-cut difference between them in both NTT and the P.O. (5) Dore contrasted systematic recruitment of HITACHI to less systematic recruitment of English Electric. Recruitment of NTT is more formal and systematic than that of HITACHI but that of the P.O. is, like English Electric, less systematic than that of the Japanese firms. (4) Dore found that while HITACHI provides to its employees continuous in-service training at its own vocational training schools, English Electric does not. However, both NTT and the P.O. provide more continuous in-service training at their own vocational training schools. (5) According to Dore main factors in determining wages of HITACHI is the comparability with other firms in the same business but those of English Electric are the same as market rules" However, both NTT and the P.O. attach great importance to comparability with the private sector, although the latter takes some market factors into account. (6) .Dore found that while principles governing the distribution of wage/salary bill in HITACHI have no relation to market situations, wages and salary are distributed on differentials in English Electric. Those of NTT is more J3.panese like than those of HITACHI excluding sex and merit and those of the P.O. move to some extent towards Japanese ones because of the incremental scales. (7) Dore contrasted indirect and multiform monetary incentives to indirect ones of English Electric under piecerate system. However, monetary incentives in both NTT and the P.O. are only through promotion. (8) Dore found that while HITACHI provides to its employees all-embracing welfare services, English Electric does not. Welfare services offered by NTT are better than those of HITACHI but the only significant welfare service of the P.O. is pensions. (9) Dore found that while HITACHI Union is an 'enterprise' union, there are several fragmented unions in English Electric which have members beyond the boundary of the firms. NTT union is also an enterprise union. Although there are several unions according to job grades in the P.O., most of them are organised within the P.O.

• Item Type: Thesis (MLitt(R))
• Qualification Level: Masters
• Additional Information: Adviser: L C Hunter
• Keywords: Labor relations
• Date of Award: 1977
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:1977-73414
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 14 Jun 2019 08:56
• Last Modified: 14 Jun 2019 08:56
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/73414