Updated: 19 May 2006

Welcome

It is generally agreed that we are witnessing a historically unprecedented transformation of work, evidenced in changes in the organisation of work in time, in space, in content and in the contractual relationships between workers and their employers. It is also generally agreed that these changes have something to do with globalisation and in technological change. But what, precisely, are the mechanisms by which these changes take place?

This international conference will bring together leading experts from a range of different disciplinary and national backgrounds with the aim of developing a conceptual framework for studying the relationship between these global forces and working life, recognising that global corporate strategies may both shape and be shaped by local practices. In particular, it will address such questions as:

		How are global forces mediated by national and regional institutions?
		What are the spatial impacts of global corporate restructuring?
		What are the impacts of corporate restructuring on workers’ skills and knowledge?
		What are the impacts of flexibilisation strategies on the organisation of work?
		What are the impacts on working time, on work-life balance and the quality of life?
		What are the gender impacts?
		What is happening to occupational identities and career structures?
		What are the implications for workers’ organisation and representation and for the Social Dialogue?

The theoretical discussions will be complemented by a rich range of presentations illustrating changes currently taking place in work organisation from researchers in North America, Asia and Latin America as well as Europe.