ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the interaction between systems of industrial relations and the Human Resources Management-policies at company level. It argues that up till now in Western Europe the human resource management of companies was heavily influenced by the national system of industrial relations. The chapter attempts some contributions to the debate on these questions. It deals with a description of the traditional position of personnel management in Western European countries. The chapter addresses the issue of the impact of these changes on the national system of industrial relations. It presents a case study on the development of labour flexibility strategies in one specific company. The chapter discusses the future development of industrial relations systems within Europe. The system of industrial relations is largely taken as a given situation. However, within the continental European countries - with their Rhineland model of industrial relations - these ideas were also widely discussed in literature.
