This paper reports the preliminary findings of a study of employment relations in the automotive assembly industry in seven countries. It provides evidence that the impact of globalisation on employment relations varies systematically across liberal, coordinated and, to a lesser extent, Asian market economies. It also provides evidence of considerable diversity within varieties of capitalism. This suggests that while national institutional arrangements are important, managers and workers also influence how individual companies in the auto industry respond to the challenges posed by globalisation. There is also potential for the ILO to play a more significant role in mediating the effects of globalization on employment relations in the automotive industry, particularly in the newly industrialising economies in Asia.

Keywords : Effects of globalization , Employment relations, Automotive industry