IRL 101 - Definitions - Alternative Systems

Codetermination - In Germany, the system of worker representation at the enterprise level

Labor Courts - In Germany, tri-partite tribunals responsible for overseeing the enforcement of collective bargaining agreements and the various laws applicable at the work place

Labor Director - In Germany, the manager directly responsible for industrial relations and human resource management

Labour Party - In Britain the party to which many trade unions are directly affiliated

Quality Circles - Groups of ordinary employees in the Japanese enterprise who meet to discuss ways to improve production processes

Regular employment - In Japan, the system covering a large number of blue collar as well as white collar employees who make a long-term commitment to their enterprise and to whom the enterprise makes a long-term commitment in return

Seniority wage system - In Japan, when regular employees are paid based on their length of service with the enterprise

Spring Labor Offensive - The annual wage bargaining campaign conducted by Japanese labor unions

Voluntarism - In Britain, the notion that government, and especially the courts, should stay out of industria l relations and let the unions and management work things out for themselves

Works Council - In Germany, the workplace group which represents all employees at the enterprise level