The Thatcher government has pledged to bring in statutory provision for ballots in certain trade union elections and for the calling of industrial action. This book examines the current use of ballots in union elections and their effect on participation and leadership selection. Previous...

A detailed examination of the industrial relations and employment legislation introduced by the Conservative government and its impact on trade unions: their role, organization, influences and prospects. Emphasis is placed on the use of ballot legislation as an instrument in this process.

Focuses on the devolution of bargaining levels and responsibilities in the Transport and General Workers Union in Great Britain from 1965 to 1975. Changes in lay participation; Movement from national level to lower level bargaining; Changes in the scope and relevance of lower level bargaining.

In 1976, the Conservative Party expressed the view that trade unions were “… imperfectly democratic”. Subsequently they returned to this theme in a Green Paper on Union Democracy in 1983 which expressed strong reservations about the electoral practices of trade unions. The Conservatives...

The Oxford Institute for Employee Relations (OXIFER) is a small research and teaching community based at Templeton College, Oxford. It aims to link advanced research with teaching and the widespread dissemination of findings, focusing primarily on the role of management in employee and...

Balloting has been held to undermine collective decision making within unions. This article, based upon analysis of the rule books of all TUC affiliated unions and case study material, outlines the law on balloting and collective bargaining, and examines the response to legislative changes. The...

The paper reports a major part of the results of a research project on trade union ballots in the 1980s, concerned with the role of ballots in collective bargaining. The project investigated the changes made by unions in the conduct of collective bargaining as a result of government legislation...