Public service employment restructuring in the crisis in the UK and Ireland: Social partnership in retreat

Abstract

The crisis has had major consequences for public service employment relations in the liberal market economies of the UK and Ireland. However, variations in the process of fiscal consolidation reflect different legacies of social partnership, prior patterns of public management reform and different relationships to the eurozone. The measures adopted nevertheless reflect a similar concern to decrease public sector employment, worsen pay and conditions and increase work effort. Despite the deterioration of terms and conditions of employment, industrial action has been muted, reflecting the severe weakness of trade unions. Both cases illustrate that governments have become less concerned to gain trade union support to push through austerity measures.