New Employee Relations Strategies in Britain: Towards Individualism or Partnership?

Abstract

This article addresses the themes of individualism, partnership and collectivism in British industrial relations by reporting on a detailed three-year case-study-based research project. Drawing on this data set, we offer insights into practical developments in contemporary workplaces and into the thinking of managers and employee representatives as they attempt to steer new paths in their relations. In particular, we examine what happens in practice when senior management teams, in previously collectivized organizations, set out with the explicit intent of shifting the balance of emphasis towards more 'individualized' relations with employees and/or to devise new 'partnership' arrangements. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd/London School of Economics 2000.

Two Forms of Virtue Ethics: Two Sets of Virtuous Action in the Fire Service Dispute?

“…On the one hand the employees' ability to enter into a dispute is recognised and, on the other hand, employers can ultimately terminate employment of those who are seen to have breached their contract of employment. However, the dispute took place against a broader political backdrop where the Labour Government had been promoting more cooperative relationships between unions, employers and government (Johnstone, et al 2009, Bacon and Storey 2000, Howell 2004and Undy 1999. Indeed, the dominance of third way politics and cooperative approaches set the norm for industrial relations throughout this period (Howell 2004) and the dispute ran counter to this.…”

“…First it suggests moving from a reliance on ideologies that lead to conflict based modes of operation to those based in partnership and co creation. Whilst this may be a challenging move for both sides, it is clear that other unions have managed to move to partnership approaches (Bacon andStorey 2000, Haynes andAllen 2001).…”

Workplace Union–Management Partnership: Prospects for Diffusion of Contemporary British Approaches in New Zealand

“…Greater interest in union-management, cooperation, has been one of the most salient developments in British industrial relations in recent times (Bacon & Storey, 2000). Although we must be careful not to exaggerate the number of British employers that have engaged in formalized partnerships with unions, a significant number of large UK firms has been very positive about the approach.…”

Does workplace partnership deliver mutual gains at work?

“…Though notoriously difficult to define, a central idea has been the promotion of cooperative relations between unions and management (Bacon and Samuel, 2009;Bacon and Storey, 2000;Brown, 2000). However, a broader definition views workplace partnership as a particular bundle of supporting HRM policies, practices and processes, and suggests the possibility of partnership style arrangements in both unionised and non-unionised environments (Johnstone et al, 2009;van Wanrooy et.al, 2013).…”