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Presents data from recent research examining work organization in seven countries. Addresses the question of whether the contemporary workplace is characterized by management practices which might be termed post‐Fordist, involving an extension of employee discretion and autonomy, or whether traditional practices of direct hierarchical control are more in evidence. Data suggests that the latter practices are more likely to prevail in all of the countries examined despite assertions in the literature that new, more flexible work arrangements are transforming the old methods of production. Concludes with an evaluation of the opportunities which exist for the empowerment of trade union members at the workplace level under these circumstances.