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The article reviews the book, "A Glowing Dream: A Memoir," by Roland Penner.

This is a comparative study of intergovernmental relations in labour market policy in Canada and the United Kingdom (UK) between 1996 and 2006, the first phase of devolution in each country. The study focuses primarily on relations between the central government and a single sub-state in each country (Alberta in Canada and Scotland in the UK) and addresses three research questions: 1) to what extent were there differences in intergovernmental relations between the countries?2) what accounted for these differences? 3) what impact did these differences have on the character and workability of the intergovernmental relations system in each country? Workability was assessed based upon the degree to which trust ties developed between senior officials. The analysis concludes that the structure of the state, the structure of the policy domain, and the presence of two important accommodation mechanisms in the UK not found in Canada (the party system and the civil service) made intergovernmental relations in labour market policy in the two countries fundamentally different. In Canada, intergovernmental relations were multilateral, interprovincial and bilateral, whereas in the United Kingdom they were only bilateral. Despite devolution, the UK Government retained control of most policy levers, whereas in Canada devolution has limited federal control and influence and any notion of a national labour market system. Trust ties were enhanced by consistency between the key players, routinized engagement, reliability, honesty, respect, capacity and willingness to engage, and transparency. Although shared objectives made engagement easier, they were not a prerequisite for a positive relationship. Bilateral relationships that took place within the geographic boundaries of Alberta and Scotland were considered as positive and highly workable. Difficulties arose when relationships became multilateral or bilateral relations were managed at a distance. Despite devolution, multilateral relations in the historically conflicted labour market policy domain in Canada remained competitive, with a low degree of workability. Relationships with respect to disability and immigration issues were more positive. In the UK relationships in the welfare to work policy area were cooperative and highly workable. Relationships in skills and immigration did not fare as positively.

The article reviews and comments on several books including "Changing Governance of Local Economies," edited by Colin Crouch, Patrick Le Galès, Carlo Trigilia, and Helmut Voelzkow, "Convergence and Persistence in Corporate Governance," by Jeffrey N. Gordon and Mark J. Roe, and "The Global and the Local: Understanding the Dialectics of Business Systems," by Arndt Sorge.

There is a growing body of literature on the role and impact of unions in the developing world, and on their ability to mobilize members against a background of neo-liberal reforms. The South African trade union movement represents a source of inspiration to organized labour worldwide, but has faced many challenges over the years. This article engages with debates on union solidarity and worker democracy, and draws on the findings of a nationwide survey of members of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) to explore the extent of fragmentation according to gender, age, skill level and ethnicity. The survey reveals regular participation in union affairs, democratic accountability, participation in collective action, and a strong commitment to the labour movement, but variation in levels of engagement between categories of union members indicates significant implications for union policy and practice.

Technology has enabled management to utilize automation in the methods of production, and as such promoted a reduction in the use of traditional skills for traditional skilled trades' workers while narrower task specific apprenticeship training programmes promote the loss of trade knowledge traditionally passed from a trades' person to an apprentice in the manufacturing industry. The purpose of this intergenerational study is to trace the changing skill requirements affected by developing technologies in the manufacturing process focusing on the traditional skills of millwright trade, and associated skilled trades. To place in context the origins of the skilled trades' I have included brief histories of five skilled trades, to represent a selection of skilled trades' often closely connected through their work in the manufacturing industry; the millwright, electrician, welder, toolmaker and machinist. In an effort to also report the possible effects of technology on skilled trade labour from a tradesperson's perspective I have utilised my own experiences and incorporated anecdotal evidence from interviews with certified millwrights and apprentices that are either presently working in the trade, or have retired from the trade in Canada. Interviews with three generations of millwrights assisted in making comparisons of training and expectations of millwright work, together with changes in the control millwrights' exercise over the jobs they perform. The focus of the thesis is the possible effects of technological progress on the required skill sets of three generations skilled trades' with a primary focus on millwright skilled trades'. Restructuring and the utilization of new technologies has facilitated a reduction in the overall number of skilled trades' workers that were previously required when traditional skilled trades' personnel were utilised. Therefore, utilization of technology to lower production costs by modern industry is affecting social structure, in that, traditional opportunities for members of the working class, without the benefit of a university education, are restricted in their ability to obtain well paid jobs as skilled trades' personnel in the manufacturing industry. Thesis : Technology has enabled automation to be utilized by management in the methods of production, and as such promoted a reduction in discretion and control in the use of traditional skills for traditional skilled trades' workers while narrower task specific apprenticeship training programmes promote the loss of trade knowledge traditionally passed from a trades' person to an apprentice in the manufacturing industry.

The article reviews several books about labour including "Labor Movement: How Migration Regulates Labor Markets," by Harald Bauder, "Managing Labor Migration in the Twenty-first Century," by Philip Martin and Manolo Abella, and "International Migration: Globalization's Last Frontier," by Jonathon W. Moses.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Aboriginal gillnet fishers protested new state salmon regulations restricting access to the industrial fishery of the Nass and Skeena Rivers in northern British Columbia. Using cannery records, as well as letters, petitions, and statements native people made to the Department of Fisheries, this article examines both the protests and the impact of the regulations that the state introduced in a time of massive structural, economic, technological, and ecological change in the northern fishery. The native fishers' letters suggest that both their Aboriginal heritage and work-centered, class-based identities were shaping their opposition to the state. Those leading the protests were active in other areas of native politics, but also strongly identified as gillnetters, small-boat fishers in an increasingly stratified and competitive fishery. Moreover, native fishers in British Columbia had had a long history of labour activism and organization. This article suggests that understanding the ways these Aboriginal groups navigated between both the colonial and capitalist legacies can provide insights into native politics and experiences in this period.

With changes in the source of origin of immigrants, a new cohort of new generation youth from visible minority immigrant families has begun to be established and become the key replacement of the aging Canadian labour force. Based on existing research, being young, being visible, and coming from an immigrant family are possible disadvantages in the labour market. Research on this new generation youth, however, is limited. This paper reports findings of two qualitative studies examining how this new generation youth, with or without a university degree, found work and what kinds of resources they used in their job search. The economic boom in British Columbia has offered easy access to the labour market. Coming from an immigrant family, however, visible minority youth benefit very little from their social ties and those of their family.

This paper provides evidence of on-the-job training for low-paid workers in Canada and examines workplace and individual factors associated with their on-the-job training. The study uses Statistics Canada's Workplace and Employee Survey (WES) 2001 data. Results show that less than a quarter of low-paid workers received on-the-job training in 2001 as compared to one third of higher-paid workers. A decomposition of regression models indicated that this substantive gap is statistically significant. With the shrinking labour force, ongoing skills development is needed to enable workers to earn a decent living, fulfill their work-related goals, and contribute to the current and future productivity of their workplaces and the economy. We recommend governments provide support for low-paid workers' on-the-job training.

Le 1er mai 1906, les membres d'un éphémère parti socialiste canadien organisent à Montréal la première célébration de la fête internationale des travailleurs. Des centaines de personnes y défilent sous le drapeau rouge. L'événement se répète ensuite presque chaque année, et s'étend à la plupart des grandes villes du pays. L'histoire du mouvement socialiste / communiste au Canada et au Québec a certes été écrite, mais l'historiographie délaisse le sujet de sa fête annuelle. Pourtant, les journaux canadiens ont couvert l'événement, année après année, léguant aux générations suivantes une riche couverture. Celle-ci représente un outil utile, bien qu'imparfait, pour mieux saisir l'opinion de la population de l'époque à l'endroit des communistes. La présente recherche analyse plus de 400 articles de grands quotidiens pour sonder la perception des Canadiens, durant la première moitié du XXe siècle, quant au phénomène de la fête du 1er mai et au mouvement socialiste / communiste qui l'anime. Dans un premier temps, nos recherches présentent la couverture des journaux de plusieurs grandes villes canadiennes. Nous constatons alors d'importantes différences entre la perception des Canadiens français et celle des Canadiens anglais au Québec. Nous découvrons également une affinité particulière à Winnipeg -et même à Vancouver, dans une moindre mesure -pour le mouvement et sa fête. Le facteur ethnique explique en bonne partie tant les affinités de certaines communautés pour le mouvement, que la répulsion des Canadiens français. Dans un deuxième temps, à travers une approche chronologique plutôt que régionale, des facteurs conjoncturels et internationaux expliquent les fluctuations dans le ton des journaux entre 1906 et 1945. Ce travail de recherche jette la lumière sur une fête particulière, exclue du calendrier officiel nord américain et pourtant observée à travers la majeure partie du monde occidental. L'analyse de la couverture journalistique de l'événement permet de tirer d'intéressantes conclusions quant à la façon dont a été perçu le mouvement communiste canadien, au moment de son apogée.