Union negotiators, industrial action and the law: report of a survey of negotiators in twenty five unions 1991-92

It has been widely assumed that the labour legislation of the 1980s has been a major catalyst for change in British industrial relations. The nature and extent of the law''s impact have usually been assumed and rarely been clearly articulated. This paper reports the results of part of a research project designed to investigate these issues and the processes by which any legal influences took effect. A survey of negotiations in twenty five trade unions was carried out by questionnaire. The responses showed that the law had become a more important factor in the conduct of disputes. Its influence on union negotiations had not, however, been entirely negative. The law on strike ballots stood out as the most important of the changes in the law made by the 1980s legislation and the use of ballots emerged as a feature of union strategy in negotiations. More often than not this produced positive results from a union perspective. Nevertheless overall a majority of negotiations saw the law as an important factor favouring employers in the bargaining process.