The de-collectivisation of pay setting in Britain 1990-1998: incidence, determinants and impact

Charlwood, Andy (2005) The de-collectivisation of pay setting in Britain 1990-1998: incidence, determinants and impact. CEPDP (705). London School of Economics and Political Science. Centre for Economic Performance, London, UK. ISBN 0753019027

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Abstract

Overall, collective bargaining coverage has dropped by around fourteen percentage points. This paper investigates the causes and consequences of the decline in collective bargaining in Britain between 1990 and 1998. One in three workplaces that practiced collective bargaining in 1990 had abandoned it by 1998 and the incidence and coverage of collective bargaining in newer workplaces was lower than in the workplaces they replaced. The abandonment of collective bargaining was not associated with an increase in individualised payment mechanisms or with the use of ‘high involvement’ HRM practices. Workplaces that abandoned bargaining reported less impressive productivity gains than other workplaces. Male wage inequality rose as a result of the decline of bargaining coverage and of weaker unions where collective bargaining remained. Higher levels of job creation in workplaces that abandoned collective bargaining balance these negative outcomes.

Item Type:	Monograph (Discussion Paper)
Official URL:	http://cep.lse.ac.uk
Additional Information:	© 2005 Andy Charlwood
Divisions:	Centre for Economic Performance
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
JEL classification:	M - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting > M1 - Business Administration > M12 - Personnel Management J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J3 - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs > J31 - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials by Skill, Training, Occupation, etc. J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J5 - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining
Date Deposited:	23 Jul 2008 14:48
Last Modified:	11 Dec 2024 18:41
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/19881

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