ABSTRACT
In recent years the idea of a ‘Europe of the regions’ has become a popular theme in debates about the future of European integration. Although frequently invoked, the concept or term continues to elude precise definition. But in broad terms it is taken to mean a new distribution of tasks between different levels of government – regional, national and supranational – in the European Union. Parallel to this development have been observations that the regional level is becoming an increasingly important new strategic site for industrial relations activity (Piore 1993). In particular, it has been argued that regional forms of industrial relations may allow new trust relations to be established between employers and employees in the absence of formal rules (Lorenz 1993). This is a departure from the ‘traditional’ industrial relations approach which suggests that an employment relationship should be governed by a range of institutional arrangements. Put together, these separate arguments or insights suggest a recasting of labour market governance in Europe in a way that will see the demise of national systems of industrial relations.
