Opponent or allied? An European analysis of the union presence and human resource practices

Abstract

Human Resources Practices (HRPs) and unions coexist in some organisations to manage the employment relationships of the workers. In this study, we analyse how the presence/absence of unions and HRPs are combined in private European organisations, and which of these combinations are related to higher levels of wellbeing and the quality of labor relations. Data come from 24,503 workers of private organisations, obtained from the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey. Latent profiles analysis and different analyses of the variance suggested four different profiles. The profile with the greatest presence of HRPs and union presence is related to the highest levels of employees’ wellbeing and quality of labor relations in organisations, whereas those organisations with a low level of union presence or HRPs reached the worst levels in employees’ wellbeing and quality of labor relations indicators. The results and their practical implications are discussed.