Smithfield Meat Market: The Ultimate Pre-Entry Closed Shop

David Metcalf
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David Metcalf: Industrial Relations Department London School of Economics Houghton Street LONDON WC2A 2AE

Work, Employment & Society, 1991, vol. 5, issue 2, 159-179

Abstract: Smithfield meat market is one of the great sights of London. The TGWU labour supply pre-entry closed shop is correspondingly amazing. It incorporates self-employed as well as employed workers. There are a dozen occupational categories, yet all but one are engaged in the movement of meat and occupational licencing for some workers adds a further layer on top of the closed shop. The Corporation of the City of London, who own Smithfield, have threatened to close it unless labour practices are changed. Simultaneously, in 1990, the Government outlawed all pre-entry closed shops. The monopoly returns to the Smithfield labour force are around 20 per cent but there is no strong evidence that the closed shop has adversely affected profits or jobs. Given the traditions and norms of Smithfield it is likely that this closed shop will continue but with altered working practices.

Date: 1991
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