Trends in the Internationalisation of Production

Although it is widely held that multinational collective bargaining (MCB) may represent the most effective labour response to the multinational enterprise (MNE), its appearance is sporadic and ephemeral. Examples appear to be confined to situations where factors and conditions highly conducive to international union co‐operation exist. The constraints and incentives for the development of MCB are examined in the context of the 1970s and 1980s and their changing economic environments. The analysis uses a framework based on the economic theory of bargaining cartels. It is explained why MCB has occurred in unrepresentative cases and prospects for labour responses to the MNE are examined.