New Perspectives on Industrial Disputes

The nature and extent of industrial disputes in the UK changed radically in the 1980s. This volume provides new analyses of industrial disputes, using the most current research. It assesses the respective roles of union organization and management in generating, deterring and winning or losing disputes. Diverse methods of analysis are brought to bear on such issues as dispute deterrence, merits of the labour laws in the 1980's and arbitration in the UK and North America. Consequences of disputes are also evaluated, using UK evidence on pay and labour costs from both a large-scale survey and from case studies. The focus of the material is on the UK but the book also draws on comparative evidence from North America. David Metcalf is one of the UK's leading experts on collective bargaining, strikes and trade unions. Simon Milner is an emerging authority on industrial disputes with particular experise in the impact and use of arbitration.