Great Britain : social conflicts might multiply and become more radical

History of social conflicts. Since the beginning of the 1980s, the trade union membership has been dropping; consequently, collective bargaining has been declining. However, this trend does not concern the recession periods. During the recession of the beginning of the 90s, the number of strikes had strongly declined because the workers feared a loss of pay and even of their jobs. But at the same time, the Acas organisation was faced with an increase in conflicts to solve. What about the recent recession? The number of social conflicts has been similar to the one observed in the 90s, contrary to what implies the successive announcements of strikes, involving Royal Mail, British Airways and other companies, which impact on the public and are more and more turned into media events. An analysis of the figures shows that stoppages fell to 121 in the year to June 2009 from 155 in the same period in the previous non-recessionary year. But again, since the beginning of 2009, the demand for Acas’ collective conciliation services has risen (+ 19% in 2009). The main reasons of conflicts are the redundancies and the changes to pay and working conditions.
Enjoy this article for free while you’re in your trial period
You have access to our content for 1 month.

what implies the successive announcements of strikes, involving Royal Mail, British Airways and other companies, which impact on the public and are more and more turned into media events. An analysis of the figures shows that stoppages fell to 121 in the year to June 2009 from 155 in the same period in the previous non-recessionary year. But again, since the beginning of 2009, the demand for Acas’ collective conciliation services has risen (+ 19% in 2009). The main reasons of conflicts are the

Do you have information to share with us?
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
See all
Romania: collective agreement extended to entire insurance sector
On 3 November, Romania’s National Tripartite Council for Social Dialogue approved the extension of the collective labour agreement signed on 23 May by the Confederation of Employers in the...
United Kingdom largely retained within scope of EWCs despite Brexit, study shows
A study published this month by the Institute for Economic and Social Research, the French trade union research organisation, examined how the involvement of British representatives in European...
Spain: government approves creation of ‘intern status’
The Spanish government has paved the way for the creation of a new status for "persons undergoing non-professional practical training in companies, institutions or public or private organisations...
Luxembourg: two pension reform bills submitted to parliament
After lengthy negotiations with the social partners, in mid-October the Luxembourg government submitted two bills to parliament aimed at reforming the pension system to ensure its long-term...
Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR
What readers clicked on the most last month.
What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
Germany: pensioners in work already common practice, study shows
As the German government steps up measures to encourage people to stay in work beyond the legal retirement age, a new study by the Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI) – an independent...
2
Spain: government approves creation of ‘intern status’
The Spanish government has paved the way for the creation of a new status for "persons undergoing non-professional practical training in companies, institutions or public or private organisations...
3
France: social conference on labour and pensions to proceed without main employers’ group
The preparatory meeting ahead of the social conference on labour and pensions, which is set to decide on the pension system model and the funding thereof, was held on 4 November at France's labour...
4
Luxembourg: two pension reform bills submitted to parliament
After lengthy negotiations with the social partners, in mid-October the Luxembourg government submitted two bills to parliament aimed at reforming the pension system to ensure its long-term...
5
Candice Guillot (Talan): “Our recruiters save just over 80 hours per year on administrative tasks thanks to AI”
Candice Guillot, group director of employee experience and HR performance at Talan (7,000 employees), outlines for mind RH her vision and strategy for introducing artificial intelligence at the...