ABSTRACT
Virtually all economically developed and many developing countries have some sort of industrial and labour relations arrangements. These include the classical three actors: trade unions, employer federations, and the state. While modern Industrial Relations establishes institutions of conflict resolution, different countries took different pathways towards modernity and well-developed industrial relations systems. Five different pathways and outcomes towards modern industrial relations systems have been identified: dynastic/paternalistic industrial relations; middle class industrial relations; state industrial relations, colonial industrial relations, and nationalistic industrial relations. But whatever the pathway towards a modern industrial relations system is, ultimately all of these systems share a few basic similarities. Much of industrial relations operates on three levels: (a) workplace, plant, and company level; (b) the industry level; and (c) the national/international level. These levels and their actors and relationships can be seen from three different political-ideological perspectives: the utilitarian view, the pluralist view, and the radical perspective. Ultimately they all provide the institutions with a mechanism to solve problems that occur in the world of work.
