Conservative Legislation and Trade Union Power

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Conservative Legislation (during the 1980s and early 1990’s) and Trade Union Power

Trade Unions can be defined as:
‘ Organisations of workers set up to improve the status, pay and conditions of employment of its members’.
Salaman, ‘Industrial Relations’, P77

From the end of the second world war, and up until the 1970’s trade unionism was continually growing. By 1979, 57.3% of all people employed were members of trade unions.

Annual abstract Statistics, 1990, ‘Industrial relations’, M.P. Jackson, 1991, P57

‘Trade unionism may be seen as a social response to industrialisation and capitalism’
Salaman, Industrial relations, P79

In the early days of trade unionism, there was a direct need for workers to be represented, in areas such as manufacturing, there were little channels of communication and as a result of this workers had little or no representation.

The collective bargaining approach, is a system used by trade unions to regulate industrial conflict. If conflict arises, the collective bargaining approach allows the trade unions to come together in a public forum to discuss any conflicting issues. The collective barganing approach in Trade Unionism assumes that the Trade Union is bargaining for the collective group rather than individuals. The collective bargaining group is given the opportunity to resolve any conflicting issues and in some cases but not all can prevent disputes from occurring. Harbison concludes that collective bargaining

‘Provides a drainage channel for worker dis satisfaction’
Harbison in Industrial Relations, M.P.Jackson

In 1970, Britain saw the return of the Conservative government under the power of Edward Heath. After the minors strike, the Conservative government lost power and Britain reverted back to a Labour government. After the ‘winter of discontent’ in 1979, Britain once again saw the return of the Conservative government, however this time it was under the power of Margaret Thatcher.

Previous to Margaret Thatcher, the government had always seen their main focus to be the achievement of ‘full employment’, a solution which in times of 1979 could prove somewhat impossible. The new Conservative government saw their future, as one of creating more jobs and encouraging greater success in competitive product markets, this was in an attempt to achieve full employment. The main priority of the new Conservati...

... middle of paper ...

...strial Relations in Britain Edited by: Geoge Sayers Bain
Published : 1983
Basil Blackwell Publisher Ltd, Oxford

2. The Origins of British Industrial Relations By: Keith Burgess
Published: 1979
Croom Helm Ltd, London

3. The Free Economy and the Strong State-
The Politics of Thatcher, second edition By: Andrew Gamble
Published: 1994
MacMillan Press Ltd, Hampshire

4. Contemporary British Industrial Relations By: S Kessler & F Bayliss
Published: 1988
MacMillan Press Ltd, London

5. Human Resource Maanagement
Rhetorics and Realities By: Karen Legge
Published: 1995
MacMillan Press Ltd, Hampshire

6. Workplace Industrial Relations in Transition By: Millard et al.
Published: 1997
Dartmouth Publishing Co., Aldershot

7. Industrial Relations in the Future By: Poole et al.
Published: 1984
Routledge & Kegon Paul Plc, London

8. Human Resource Management: A Strategic
Introduction, second edition By: G Salaman & C Maby
Published: 1988
Blackwell, Oxford

9. Industrial Relations: Theory & Practice By: Micheal Salaman
Published:
Prentise & Hall, Hemel Hamstead

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