THE CLOSED SHOP IN BRITISH INDUSTRY

Transcription

1 THE CLOSED SHOP IN BRITISH INDUSTRY

2 Also by John Gennard FINANCING STRIKERS JOB SECURITY AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS THE RELUCTANT MILITANTS (with B. C. Roberts and R. J. Loveridge)

3 THE CLOSED SHOP IN BRITISH INDUSTRY Stephen Dunn Senior Lecturer in Industrial Relations Kingston Polytechnic and John Gennard Professor of Industrial Relations University of Strathclyde M MACMILLAN

4 Stephen Dunn and John Gennard 1984 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without permission First published 1984 by THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD London and Basingstoke Companies and representatives throughout the world British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Dunn, Stephen The closed shop in British industry. 1. Open and closed shotr-great Britain I. Title II. Gennard, John '92'0941 HD6488 ISBN ISBN (ebook) DOI /

5 To our parents Alex and Peggy Dunn The late Arthur and the late Vera Gennard

6 Contents List of Tables Abbreviations Acknowledgements viii ix xi 1 The Closed Shop: Debate, Policy and the Purpose of this Book 2 The Closed-shop Pattern: Mid The Pre-entry Closed Shop 25 4 The Growth of the Post-entry Closed Shop since the mid-1960s: Theoretical Framework 41 5 The Growth of the Post-entry Closed Shop since the mid-1960s: Explanations 57 6 The Operation of the Post-entry Closed Shop: Impact on Management and Industrial Relations 91 7 The Operation of the Closed Shop: The Union and the Individual Worker The Closed Shop in the 1980s: Conclusions and Prospects 145 Notes and References 157 Bibliography 171 Index 177 1

7 List of Tables 2.1 The extent of the closed shop: coverage at mid The extent of the closed shop: formal v. informal arrangements at mid The Warwick and EEF surveys: advantages and disadvantages of the closed shop as seen by managers Advantages of the closed shop as seen by managers: interview programme Disadvantages of the closed shop as seen by managers: interview programme Strikes over the introduction of the closed shop, Union density at the time closed shop introduced by age of arrangement: engineering establishments affiliated to the EEF Increases in membership of trade unions as a result of the spread of the closed shop, Estimated minimum number of dismissals of individual workers because of the operation of the closed shop, Minimum number of dismissals for non-union membership: by industry, Applications for 'retrospective' compensation under section 2 of the Employment Act 1982 as at end of February Estimates of extent of closed shop at mid viii

8 Abbreviations ABS ACAS ACTSS ACTT APEX ASLEF ASTMS AUEW(E) BOAC BRB BTC CBI CEGB CPS A DWES EEF ETU FBU GCBS GLC GLCSA GMWU IPM IRC IRRU ITF MNAOA Association of Broadcasting Staffs Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service Administrative, Clerical, Technical and Supervisory Staffs of the Transport and General Workers' Union Association of Cinematograph, Television and Allied Technicians Association of Professional, Executive, Clerical and Computer Staffs Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers (Engineering Section) British Overseas Airways Corporation British Railways Board British Transport Commission Confederation of British Industry Central Electricity Generating Board Civil and Public Services Association Dockworker Employment Scheme Engineering Employers' Federation Electrical Trades Union Fire Brigades Union General Council of British Shipping Greater London Council Greater London Council Staff Association General and Municipal Workers' Union Institute of Personnel Management Industrial Relations Commission Industrial Relations Research Unit International Transport Workers' Federation Merchant Navy and Airline and Officers' Association ix

9 x MNESS NALGO NAS/UWT NATFHE NATSOPA NGA NUFLAT NUPE NUR NUS NUTGW NUWDAT POEU SLADE SOGAT SSRC T&GWU TUC TULR(A)A TSSA UCW UMA UPW Abbreviations Merchant Navy Establishment Service Scheme National and Local Government Officers' Association National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education National Society of Operative Printers and Assistants National Graphical Association National Union of Footwear, Leather and Allied Trades National Union of Public Employees National Union of Railwaymen National Union of Seamen National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers National Union of Wallcoverings, Decorative and Allied Trades Post Office Engineers' Union Society of Lithographic Artists, Designers, Engravers and Process Workers Society of Graphical and Allied Trades Social Science Research Council Transport and General Workers' Union Trades Union Congress Trade Union and Labour Relations (Amendment) Act Transport Salaried Staffs' Association Union of Communications Workers Union Membership Agreement Union of Post Office Workers

10 Acknowledgements The work on which this book is based began in April 1978, when the authors were members of the Industrial Relations Department of the London School of Economics and Political Science, where the research was carried out. It was completed over four years later, by which time the authors had moved to their present employers. The research was motivated by the fact that while the closed shop had become a subject of fierce public policy debate by the late 1970s it had not been comprehensively studied since the early 1960s. The debate was taking place in a near factual void which we were keen to help fill by investigating the extent, operation and effects of closed-shop arrangements in Britain. We are grateful to the Department of Employment, Economic and Social Science Branch, which between April 1978 and January 1981 provided the financial support to enable us to undertake this task and which met all our requests for information. During this period our fieldwork was a team effort. Our deep thanks are therefore due to Michael Wright, who as a research officer devoted a great deal of energy to the project and contributed his remarkable diplomatic skills to the problem of securing access to sources of information. When he left in the summer of 1979, he was replaced by a research assistant, Mark Gregory, who fitted admirably into the team and helped in the project's completion. We thank him, Evelyn Cantor, the project secretary, for her part in organizing our programme of interviews, and typing innumerable reports and letters as well as a number of articles, and Philip Dunn, who undertook much of our data processing. We are extremely fortunate in the co-operation we received from industry. We owe a great debt to the many trade unions, employers' organizations, private companies, local authorities, nationalized industries and other public bodies which spared us their time to answer our inquiries and supply us with information. In particular we are indebted to the Engineering Employers' Federation which undertook on our behalf a survey of one in five of its affiliated establishments. In addition the TUC and the CBI were extremely co-operative in assisting us to gain access to their affiliated members. For their extensive comments on our work we are grateful to Dr Ray xi

11 xii Acknowledgements Richardson of the LSE, Roy Lewis of the SSRC Industrial Relations Research Unit at the University of Warwick, Bill Hawes of the Economic and Social Science Division of the Department of Employment and members of its Policy Division. Nevertheless the views expressed in this book are those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect those of the organizations and individuals cited above. Any errors remain our responsibility. A debt of gratitude is owed to Mrs Jean Monaghan, who diligently and cheerfully typed numerous drafts both of our earlier and longer report to the Department of Employment and of this book. Lastly research work inevitably impinges upon family life and thanks for understanding in this matter are due to Anne, John and Julie Gennard. STEPHEN DUNN JOHN GENNARO