Managing the Unions

Abstract

During the 1980s, the government aimed to reform industrial relations through imposing the following measures: political initiatives and campaigning; a changed economic and social environment; and a programme of industrial relations legislation that increasingly curtailed the role and influence of trade unions. This book examines the policies and legislation intended to change union behaviour. It considers its origins, purpose, and impact on union behaviour and structure, focusing on the role of ballots as the central mechanism chosen for changing union decision making. The changes that occurred as a consequence of this legislation are placed in the wider union context and the relative influence of the balloting legislation is assessed against other developments affecting union behaviour, including the strategies adopted by the unions' leaders. It finds that the results were not always as intended by the Conservative governments. The concluding chapter compares and contrasts the UK's union structures with those of other EU countries.