Deprivileging the public sector workforce: Austerity, fragmentation and service withdrawal in Britain

Abstract

The impact of the financial crisis has reignited debate about the scope and scale of public sector restructuring and its consequences for the workforce in Britain. The economic crisis precipitated austerity measures concentrated on expenditure reductions with the intention of reducing the public deficit. Because the public sector pay bill comprises over half of current public spending, achieving deficit reduction has major consequences for the total pay bill and the workforce. This article assesses the restructuring of the public sector and public sector employment relations in Britain and identifies underlying continuities in public sector restructuring over recent decades. Drawing on and repositioning New Labour's legacy, the Coalition government used the economic crisis to establish a proausterity frame that has legitimated deep cuts in public sector employment and involved measures to refashion public sector employment relations. The article considers the consequences of this agenda and responses by trade unions and indicates some of the limits and uncertain prospects for public sector restructuring under conditions of austerity.JEL Codes: H40, H50, H83, J45

Challenges and pitfalls for workplace unionism in a restructured public service

“…It is quite clear that outsourcing is not abating and that it has in fact most likely entered a new phase in the UK, which is likely to affect more groups of highly skilled/professional (female) workers as well as continue to affect low skill (often feminized) jobs. The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government (2010-2015) gained power in the wake of the global financial crisis with a manifesto commitment to a programme of public spending cuts and so-called austerity measures to reduce the deficit (Bach, 2016). Sustaining local representation and branch activism represents a huge challenge in a context of possible reduction in facility time, bigger risks of union victimization (Author B, XXXX), increased workforce instability, segmented and dispersed constituencies (Cumbers et al, 2010).…”

Public sector employment relations after the crisis: A comparative case study analysis of UK local authorities

“…Variations between councils arise out of the challenges that both politicians and officers face in reconciling cost cutting with retaining workforce cooperation. Through a detailed consideration of specific dimensions of HRM and employment relations this article adds to previous literature by going beyond broad national and supra-national analyses of austerity (Bach, 2016;Bach and Stroleny, 2014;Glassner, 2010;McCann, 2013;Peck, 2012;Peters, 2012) in order to explore the nuanced interplay between organisational strategy and the changing institutional landscape as actors use their 'leeway' to pursue new approaches (Boon et al, 2009).…”

Beyond employer engagement and skills supply: building conditions for partnership working and skills co-production in the English context

“…On the employer/employment side several of the LSE features have intensifiedthe move away from manufacturing, the financialisation of the economy and the lack of investment in training and industry, which have contributed to a productivity crisis (Tenreyo 2018). But there are also new industrial and business features, including the growth of the tech and finance sectors alongside a casualised 'gig economy' (Todolí-Signes 2017, Muntaner 2018); the increased use of outsourcing and a reduction in the size of the public sector (Wettenhall 2001, Bach 2016. The combination of old and new business and industrial patterns has seen a demand for high-end skills focused on the flow of HE graduates with recourse to foreign labour to meet both high-and low-skill demands (Green andHensenke 2016, Wadsworth 2015).…”