Conclusions: The Prospects for British and American Industrial Relations

Abstract

It is necessary to examine the extent that collective bargaining would possibly have on both the USA and on Britain since meaningful collective bargaining is believed to be the cornerstone of an effective industrial relations system. It is estimated that the US unions have to acquire one million new members every year for the next twenty-five years so that private sector membership is to be raised. On the other hand, for Britain, 250,000 new members are needed to that the total membership would escalate to the level it was at in 1979. Since both the USA and Britain are driven by ‘free’ collective bargaining, both countries are affected by the weakening unions and the corresponding decrease in the effects of collective bargaining. This concluding chapter attempts to explore the prospects for unions and the evaluation of their current strategies for attracting new members, and how these bring about certain responses from employers and prospective developments in public policy.