Towards strategies for making offshore outsourcing economically and socially sustainable

This paper looks at the role trade unions and employee representatives can play in workplaces where offshoring and outsourcing projects are introduced. Starting with an overview of the literature on the employment impacts of offshore outsourcing, it highlights a strong contrast between the generally...

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Main Authors: Monique Ramioul, Tom De Bruyn
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Pluto Journals 2008-03-01
Series:Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation
Online Access:https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.13169/workorgalaboglob.2.1.0117
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author Monique Ramioul
Tom De Bruyn
author_facet Monique Ramioul
Tom De Bruyn
author_sort Monique Ramioul
collection DOAJ
description This paper looks at the role trade unions and employee representatives can play in workplaces where offshoring and outsourcing projects are introduced. Starting with an overview of the literature on the employment impacts of offshore outsourcing, it highlights a strong contrast between the generally optimistic macro-economic studies focusing on the net effects, and the realities of offshore projects revealed through case studies, in which failure and mismanagement are common. It describes a situation in which increasing numbers of European trade unions, acknowledging that offshore outsourcing is ‘here to stay’, have reacted to this situation by developing a more pro-active approach to the introduction of outsourcing and offshoring which seeks to avoid the negative impacts on employees of failed or badly managed offshore outsourcing projects. Finally, the paper discusses the MOOS (Making Offshore Outsourcing Sustainable) project which exemplified this approach, aiming at contributing to a better informed and more effective role for employee representatives, to enable them to assess and influence the offshore outsourcing practices of their employers.
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spelling doaj.art-6d6066d91c7b499faa9529efd8aa3af72023-05-03T15:51:35ZengPluto JournalsWork Organisation, Labour and Globalisation1745-641X1745-64282008-03-012111713210.13169/workorgalaboglob.2.1.0117Towards strategies for making offshore outsourcing economically and socially sustainableMonique RamioulTom De BruynThis paper looks at the role trade unions and employee representatives can play in workplaces where offshoring and outsourcing projects are introduced. Starting with an overview of the literature on the employment impacts of offshore outsourcing, it highlights a strong contrast between the generally optimistic macro-economic studies focusing on the net effects, and the realities of offshore projects revealed through case studies, in which failure and mismanagement are common. It describes a situation in which increasing numbers of European trade unions, acknowledging that offshore outsourcing is ‘here to stay’, have reacted to this situation by developing a more pro-active approach to the introduction of outsourcing and offshoring which seeks to avoid the negative impacts on employees of failed or badly managed offshore outsourcing projects. Finally, the paper discusses the MOOS (Making Offshore Outsourcing Sustainable) project which exemplified this approach, aiming at contributing to a better informed and more effective role for employee representatives, to enable them to assess and influence the offshore outsourcing practices of their employers.https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.13169/workorgalaboglob.2.1.0117
spellingShingle Monique Ramioul
Tom De Bruyn
Towards strategies for making offshore outsourcing economically and socially sustainable
Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation
title Towards strategies for making offshore outsourcing economically and socially sustainable
title_full Towards strategies for making offshore outsourcing economically and socially sustainable
title_fullStr Towards strategies for making offshore outsourcing economically and socially sustainable
title_full_unstemmed Towards strategies for making offshore outsourcing economically and socially sustainable
title_short Towards strategies for making offshore outsourcing economically and socially sustainable
title_sort towards strategies for making offshore outsourcing economically and socially sustainable
url https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.13169/workorgalaboglob.2.1.0117
work_keys_str_mv AT moniqueramioul towardsstrategiesformakingoffshoreoutsourcingeconomicallyandsociallysustainable
AT tomdebruyn towardsstrategiesformakingoffshoreoutsourcingeconomicallyandsociallysustainable