Steel: A Classic Case of Industrial Relations Change in the 1980s

In tracking the changes occurring within British industrial relations and labour utilisation in the 1980s, the steel industry offers something of a classic case. Prior to this decade, work organisation and industrial relations were characterised by tradition and continuity, rather than change. Small, hierarchically organised work crews, rigid seniority systems based on experience, and strict demarcation between craft and non‐craft areas, supported by multi‐unionism, with national agreements negotiated individually with craft and process unions, typified the industry until the recent period. While the political context of the post‐war steel industry changed (nationalisation was followed quickly by de‐nationalisation, and subsequently in 1967 by re‐nationalisation), other aspects of the industry's environment remained essentially unaltered during this time. In particular, a growing product market, and optimistic forecasts of future sales, coupled with relatively little change in technology, contributed to the retention of longstanding patterns of work organisation.