FROM CENTER STAGE TO BIT PLAYER: TRADE UNIONS AND THE BRITISH ECONOMY

Chris F. Wright () and William Brown
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Chris F. Wright: Work and Organisational Studies, School of Business, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

The Singapore Economic Review (SER), 2014, vol. 59, issue 04, 1-20

Abstract: Over the past 30 years, British unions have been marginalised from economic policymaking. Union membership and collective bargaining coverage have fallen dramatically, and the sometimes negative economic impact of unions at the workplace level has disappeared. While strong unions were once key contributors to macroeconomic problems such as high inflation, the weakening of organised labour has created other economic problems for policymakers in Britain, such as rising inequality. The social and political consequences of deepening inequality may force a reconsideration of the role of both the state and of unions in upholding labour standards.

Keywords: Britain; economic policy; industrial relations; labour market policy; trade unions; wage determination (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1142/S0217590814500301

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