Contractual (In)Security, Labour Regulation and Competitive Performance in the Port Transport Industry: A Contextualized Comparison of Britain and Spain

Spanish ports have traditionally been derided for poor performance and acrimonious labour relations. This situation has been reversed in recent years through a programme of reform that has (a) created a more congenial organizational ecology in which firms co‐operate as well as compete; (b) ensured the collective provision of vital production inputs such as training and social peace; and (c) co‐ordinated investment in new port capacity and equipment. Spanish ports now match the performance of Britain's privatized and deregulated port transport industry, where co‐operation is more notable by its absence, insecurity is rife and price competition intense. Through a contextualized comparison of labour regulation in the two countries, it is possible to demonstrate that an ‘institutionally saturated’ and ‘politically bargained’ system of production and employment is compatible with, if not a necessary condition for, competitive performance in the international port transport industry.