Peering into the Black Hole: The Downside of the New Employment Relations in the UK

Using a national sample of 1,000 employees, this paper examines the proposition that those working in so-called 'black hole' organizations (i.e. where there is neither a set of progressive HRM practices nor a recognized trade union) will report more negative attitudes and work experiences than those in settings where there is either HRM, a trade union presence or both. The results lend some support to this hypothesis with respect to job satisfaction and organizational commitment and in judgements about experiences of fairness of treatment and trust in management. However, the most negative views about employment relations are reported by those who belong to a union in workplaces with little HRM. The findings indicate that it is HRM practices rather than trade union membership that have the major impact on attitudes and experiences. Even in black hole organizations some employees report satisfaction. This can be largely explained by a positive psychological contract between individual and organization. The implications for the role of trade unions in the promotion of fairness at work are discussed.     

Representation in UK Employment Tribunals: Analysis of the 2003 and 2008 Survey of Employment Tribunal Applications (SETA)

The perception is that formal representation is increasingly common in UK Employment Tribunals (ETs), as case volumes and complexity increase. We investigate the nature of representation in UK ETs using the 2003 and 2008 Survey of Employment Tribunal Applications (SETA). The results suggest that between 2003 and 2008, the extent of formal claimant representation declined. The majority of employers and claimants are either heavily represented or have little/no representation, and there is little evidence that claimant representation is a response to employer representation at least at the level of individual claims. Overall, however, it would seem that some of the ‘accessible, informal and inexpensive’ characteristics envisaged by Donovan continue to apply only to cases within certain jurisdictions.     

The Evolution of Industrial Relations in UK Nationalized Industries

This paper explores the development of industrial relations in the UK nationalized industries by examining strategy, structure and industrial relations decisions, and the political influences upon them. It is suggested that the distinctive features of nationalized industry industrial relations lies not so much in particular institutions as in the specific effects of business strategy and organization structure, along with the extent to which political factors influenced industrial relations directly. Three phases of industrial relations development are identified according to the extent and objectives of governmental involvement in the formulation of business strategies, structures and labour relations: the 1950s, the 1960s and 1970s, and the period beginning in 1979.     

The Ascendancy of Employment Arbitrators in US Employment Relations: A New Actor in the American System?

In this paper, we survey the underpinnings of the trend towards employment arbitration in the United States, and its implications for the broader industrial relations system. Specifically, we address the question of whether or not employment arbitrators have been substituted for collective bargaining by the government to an extent that warrants their inclusion as an actor in the industrial relations system. We review developments in workplace dispute resolution in the United States, the literature that attempts to explain these developments and posit an assessment of the stability of employment arbitration, and employment arbitrators, as a central feature of the US industrial relations system.     

A Quarter Century of Workplace Employment Relations Surveys

The 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey (WERS 2004) is the fifth in a series that spans almost a quarter of a century. This paper reflects on the history of this series, examines some of its key limitations and speculates on what future directions it might take.     

Institutions Are What Actors Make of Them — The Changing Construction of Firm‐Level Employment Relations in Spain

This article analyses the variation and change in firm‐level employment relations in Spain between the transition to democracy and the global financial crisis. Using three auto companies as case studies, I address a crucial puzzle in the institutional literature on comparative employment relations: How do employment relations change and vary, even when national employment relations institutions do not? This article argues that differences in actor ideologies shape the construction of national institutions at the firm level, which explains change and variation of employment relations over time and across cases. The study identifies four drivers of ideological change — generational change, leadership change, identity work and diffusion — that impact the variation and change in employment relations at the firm level.     

Public‐sector Employment Relations Reform under Labour: Muddling Through on Modernization?

The year 2001 in the UK was dominated by the difficulties the Labour government confronted in developing a coherent programme of public-sector modernization. This review examines recent developments in the public sector, focusing on government attempts to involve the private sector and its continuing reforms of pay determination arrangements. It highlights the tensions that this programme of reform aroused as the government struggled to respond to recruitment and retention problems and widespread perceptions of public-sector 'crisis'.     

论国有煤炭企业盈亏博弈(上)

一、绪言市场经济形势错综复杂 ,企业要追求利润最大化 ,几乎是经济学的公理 ,它又与国家的政策、法律、税收、社会负担、债权债务、政府的干预密切相关。“将欲取之 ,必先予之” ,这并不是阴谋手段 ,而是讲求投入产出 ,没有投入便不会有回报。国有煤炭企业作为进行生产经营活动的一种组织形式和经济实体 ,生产经营的最基本动力源或最主要目标就是追求利润最大化 ,这种天经地义的事 ,为什么却往往对国有煤炭企业失灵了呢 ?因为国有煤炭企业作为一种特殊企业 ,能否做到自负盈亏 ,怎样实现自负盈亏 ,能否在激烈的市场经济竞争中优胜劣汰 ,不仅…     

论国有煤炭企业盈亏博弈(下)

五、政企分开在于建立现代企业制度国有煤炭企业本身就具有全民所有加上国家经营或非国家经营的双重含义。企业所有者的性质以及企业所有者同企业的关系 ,对企业的性质以及企业运行机制具有决定性的影响。在当前社会主义市场经济的运行中 ,各类企业根据所有者的不同可分为 :如果企业所有者是个人 ,不难理解称为私营企业 ;如果企业所有制是劳动者集体所有 ,则称之为集体企业。那么 ,现代企业制度又如何界定其涵义呢 ?有人认为现代企业制度就是股份制 ;有人认为现代企业制度不仅仅是公司制或股份制 ,还包括现代历史上有效运行的其他各种形式的…     

The Statutory Union Recognition Procedure in the Employment Relations Bill: A Comparative Analysis

This paper analyses the provisions for union recognition contained in the British Employment Relations Bill in the light of problems with the system in operation in the 1970s and with its US counterpart. First, it establishes that these problems may be attributable largely to defects in design rather than fundamental flaws, and that this is demonstrated by the relative success of the Canadian system. Second, the paper evaluates the Bill's provisions, finding that it avoids many weaknesses of the 1970s and US systems but lacks a number of the Canadian system's strengths. Consequently recognition may be readily attainable if the union already has a majority, but there could be undue delays and opportunities for employer interference if this is not the case, and in general union recognition may not translate into effective collective bargaining. However, if the provisions do help diffuse the partnership model as the government envisages, apparent weaknesses in the Bill may yet prove to be the hallmarks of a distinctive system.     

History of the British Industrial Relations Field Reconsidered: Getting from the Webbs to the New Employment Relations Paradigm

Sidney and Beatrice Webb are commonly cited as the founders of the British field of industrial relations. Are they, however, if the field is centred not on study of unions and collective bargaining but rather on the entire employment relationship? A ‘qualified yes’ answer is given; however, getting there involves major revision to the conventional historiography of the field. To illustrate, the article presents a traditional and revised family tree of British industrial relations. Numerous insights and implications follow.     

Initial Responses to the Statutory Recognition Provisions of the Employment Relations Act 1999

We report how trade unions and employers initially reacted to the introduction of the statutory recognition procedure in the Employment Relations Act 1999 (ERA). Interview data indicate that the ERA and the drift of EU influence have acted to shift employer attitudes towards greater approval of unions and have accelerated the rate at which employers are redesigning their relationships with unions. Although they are restricting unions’ influence over traditional issues such as pay‐setting, employers are increasingly seeking their assistance in implementing organizational changes. We explore the impact of these developments on union activity and on collective representation more broadly.     

The evolution of a local R&D strategy: the experience of a service in the UK National Health Service (NHS)

Increasing concern about the state of health‐related research in the UK in the 80s and early 90s, led to an influential parliamentary review. The consequence of this was to strengthen health research through a programme that was fully integrated into the management structure of the NHS. No country had ever attempted such an ambitious approach ( Black, 1997 ). In 1994 a far‐reaching review, recommended further, revolutionary changes to the management of R&D in the UK National Health Service ( Culyer, 1994 ). Many of these were implemented in 1997 with the result that every UK health service at regional and local level has developed an infrastructure, and management arrangements for R&D activity. In most local areas, hospitals with significant involvement in R&D have been eligible to bid to the UK Department of Health for NHS R&D Support funds. In Nottingham, three Hospital Trusts and a community based service made bids to the Department of Health and received grants to support R&D. This paper focuses on one of the hospital Trusts ‐ the mental health service in Nottingham. Our experience will be of particular interest as the first bid that the mental health service made was spectacularly unsuccessful. The organisation was forced to consider dis‐investment in its existing research infrastructure and a potential negative impact on the provision of patient care. This led to a wide‐ranging consultation and evaluation of research and research‐related activity. A range of approaches and tools were deployed to develop the strategy and to ensure its successful implementation and evolution. The strategy reflected a balanced approach, taking into account historical and organisational research strengths, while recognising the need to build capacity and capability, enhance foresight capability and strengthen the knowledge base. The ability to contribute to, and influence policy and practice has been a key driver of the strategy. The result was a successful bid and the evolution of an R&D strategy that has been flexible in its response to policy changes, changing local circumstances and wider socio‐economic trends and technical innovations. Furthermore, R&D performance, measured through outputs, impacts and income, has continually improved and increased.