ABSTRACT
Management and labour relations in the peripheral segment of Japan's workforce have been discussed to this point through two grids: the division and deployment of workers (Chapters 2 and 3); the stratification of workers' labour effort under sub contracting and rationalization (Chapter 4). The experiences of workers in five plants offered illustrations of industrial relations through both grids (Chapter 5). This chapter will look at management and labour relations in the peripheral segment through a third grid, labour organization and its segmentation. The main focus will be on Japan's enterprise union system and the right of workers to organize. There is a large body of litera ture on this subject; however, the following discussion pursues a specific aspect: the capacity of peripheral workers to exercise this right to organize and bargain collectively. This discussion will conclude with an assessment of the exclusiveness of enter prise unionism and the implications of the system for those workers it excludes.
