In Praise of Collective Bargaining: The Enduring Significance of Hugh Clegg’s Trade Unionism under Collective Bargaining

Author(s):  
Keith Sisson
1991 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Lovell

SUMMARYThe article takes shipbuilding as a case study in the development of collective bargaining in Britain during the period 1889–1910. During the period shipbuilding employers established an effective national organisation and were successful in drawing the unions into an industry-wide disputes procedure. These developments occurred notwithstanding marked differences in outlook and interest as between the two main centres of activity in the industry, the Clyde and the northeast coast. The more militant posture of the Clyde employers towards the unions is examined in relation to a number of key issues – the apprentice and machine questions, managerial prerogative, wage control. In interpreting the general nature of the transition that occurred in the industry's labour relations, the article questions the view that the move to national bargaining was associated with a general commitment to the joint regulation of employment rules. It further suggests that the general level of employer acceptance of trade unionism may have been less than is sometimes assumed. These conclusions may well have a significance beyond the case in question.


Author(s):  
Sedat AYYILDIZ

After experiencing its half-century golden period between 1950-2000, the system of trade unionism and collective bargaining, which arose with the concern of turning the class political struggle, which entered the agenda of humanity into a peaceful situation, faced a crisis of existence and function. A change in the understanding of Labor Relations and Business Management, a change in the perspective of working and production with modern human resource management techniques, has led to the need to reproduce the system of trade unionism and collective bargaining. Globalization, international competition and small businesses succumbing to mass production have led to trade union monopolism and cumbersome organizations. Trade union organizations have fallen behind the human resource vision they represent and have begun to fade in the trap of wage unionism. This led to a trend of changes in the way trade unionism was conducted, but the components of new trade unionism did not fall into place. The traditional collective bargaining system, which can find a living space thanks to the introduction of wage costs against the price-quality-sales performance in production, has had to express itself again as this cycle begins to be questioned. The main concerns about trade unionism have changed as follows: It has become vital that unionism is peace-oriented rather than fight-oriented, compromise-oriented rather than debate-oriented, solution-oriented rather than Problem-Oriented, Development and life-oriented rather than wage-oriented, strategy and employment-oriented rather than bargaining-oriented. Therefore, especially in trade unionism, it is clear that there is a need for “trade unionism and community bargaining system reform”, which begins with the qualifications and election times of trade union managers and extends to managing flexible working models and from there to the correct perception and correct interpretation of international company relations and paves the way for entrepreneurship. Keywords: Trade Unionism, Collective Bargaining, Labor, Industrial Relations, Productivity, Innovation, Human Resources


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