Industrial Relations in Britain

The British state has in fact been a central actor in the

construction, maintenance and reconstruction of industrial
relations institutions
(Howell, 2005: 3)

Group 1 Section G
Aditi (PGP30356)| Aditya(PGP30357)|
Aparajitha(PGP30364)|Arun(PGP30367)|
Jitendra(PGP30376)|Niharika(PGP30383)

The voluntarist system

Voluntarism arose out of trade union immunity
legislation such as the Trade Disputes Act 1906
Principal features of voluntarism included:
1) non-legally binding collective agreements
2) voluntary union recognition by employers
3) low level of formalisation of industrial relations structures
4) voluntary framework of state-provided dispute resolution
facilities (no power of the State to arbitrate)

This voluntarist system was supported by employers and

unions

The state:
from voluntarist to interventionist
In an attempt to reverse economic decline,
governments from the 1970s onwards legislated
industrial relations reform
Conservative Thatcher Government (1979-1990)
reduced the power of the unions
Increasing focus on the business
partner/strategy role of HR managers.

Policy Changes
Broad shifts in state economic policy
Broad shifts in state public-sector policy
Privatisation of major parts of the public sector between
1979-1997 reduced the size of the public sector from 30% to
22%
Privatisation and deregulation of the public sector effects
on employment relations, including the fragmentation of
work across organisational boundaries

The 1997-2010 New Labour Government

Key changes include the introduction of a national minimum
wage in 1999 which has strengthened statutory employment
rights

British unionism
Has the longest history of unionism (began
before in the nineteenth century)
Prior to World War II, the majority of unionised
white-collar workers were in the public sector
After 1960, substantial numbers of private sector
white-collar workers were also unionised

Three post-war phases can be identified:

1) 1948-1968: Increased: 42% to 50%
2) 1970s: Peaked at about 56%
3) 1979-: Declined from 56% to 28%

Associations
The Trade Union Congress was established in 1868 and
is Britains one main union confederation
lobbies governments on union issues
provides services to affiliated unions
adjudicates disputes between affiliated unions

Labour Party established in 1906

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) was
formed in 1965 and is the peak organisation of
employers in Britain

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