Trade unions and institutional power resources in the United Kingdom
| Date | 23 October 2023 |
| Pages | 1548-1560 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-11-2022-0496 |
| Published date | 23 October 2023 |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Industrial/labour relations,Employment law |
| Author | Mike Rigby,Miguel Angel García Calavia |
Trade unions and institutional
power resources in the
United Kingdom
Mike Rigby
Business School, London South Bank University, London, UK, and
Miguel Angel Garc
ıa Calavia
Departmento de Sociolog
ıa, University of Val
encia, Val
encia, Spain
Abstract
Purpose –The paper examines the approach of United Kingdom (UK) Trade Unions to the use of institutional
power resources (IPR) in the second half of the twentieth century.
Design/methodology/approach –Using secondary material, it examines the unions’approach to IPR in
three cases; collective bargaining; worker representation and trade union structure.
Findings –The paper concludes that unions did not appreciate the importance of, and lacked a strategic
approach to, IPR. Although employer and government action were largely responsible for the decline of
industrial relations institutions, the failure of the unions to engage with IPR contributed to this process.
It explains the failure of the unions to engage with IPR by reference to their lack of strategic capabilities and
skills in relation to power resources (PRs) in general and IPR in particular.
Research limitations/implications –It would have been interesting to collect primary data via interviews
with union actors from the period examined to test the interpretation of secondary data contained in the article.
Practical implications –The paper has identified the kind of strategic decision-making which is necessary
for unions to engage effectively with IPR. It is has also indicated the key skills which unions need to develop to
be able to manage their engagement with IPR.
Social implications –The paper has implications for the role of trade unions in society, showing the need for
them to develop narratives to convince society of the importance of their role and action and to develop the
skills which enable them to connect with other social groups, e.g. intermediation, engagement with coalitional
resources.
Originality/value –Analysis of the decline of industrial relations institutions in this period has emphasized
the role of employers and the state. This paper contributes to a more balanced perspective on this decline by
drawing attention to the lack of a union strategy towards IPR and the importance of the detail of the
management and employment of power resources.
Keywords UK, Trade unions, Institutional power resources
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Industrial relations institutions in the United Kingdom (UK) underwent dramatic changes in
the last quarter of the twentieth century, changes which have continued in recent decades.
Collective bargaining coverage stood at 70% in the 1970s but had declined to 26% in 2018
(Visser, 2019) while between 1979 and 2010 trade union membership density halved from
53% to 26%. The changes have been attributed to factors such as the movement from
manufacturing to services, the growing international competitive environment faced by
companies, the emergence of a less bridled form of capitalism and government legislation, all
of which put pressures on the pattern of employment relations which had grown up after the
Second World War. Membership decline was also related to the development of a more
diversified labour force with significant proportions of women workers and workers in
atypical employment presenting a greater recruitment challenge for the unions.
This paper considers the role of trade unions in the evolution of industrial relations
institutionsin post war UK and,in particular, their useof IPR, which, it is argued,have not been
ER
45,6
1548
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/0142-5455.htm
Received 3 November 2022
Revised 15 June 2023
3 October 2023
Accepted 4 October 2023
Employee Relations: The
International Journal
Vol. 45 No. 6, 2023
pp. 1548-1560
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0142-5455
DOI 10.1108/ER-11-2022-0496
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