Neoliberal Industrial Relations Policy in the UK (PDF)

Conor Cradden is a research fellow at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. He has an MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a PhD from the European University Institute in Florence. Formerly head of research for a UK public sector trade union, he has expertise in labour and organization studies, transnational regulation, participatory democracy and sociological theory.

'Cradden's fascinating reconstruction of the intense debates on British industrial relations from the Donovan Commission until New Labour reveals that its neoliberal development was much less natural and linear than it is generally assumed, especially in international comparisons. The sharp historical account clarifies complex debates with masterly literary elegance. Importantly, the book is placed in a convincing critical theoretical framework, which by considering industrial relations as a political - before an economic realm, explains why the winning ideas are often not the best, only the simplest ones. It is an indispensable book for anybody wanting to understand industrial relations better, whether only the convoluted and often misrepresented British case, or the labour issue in general and whether only to interpret it, or also to change it.'

Professor Guglielmo Meardi, Director of the Industrial Relations Research Unit, University of Warwick, UK

'The author provides refreshing new insight on the sea change in industrial relations policy in the United Kingdom. This book challenges both scholars and the labour movement to strengthen the intellectual foundations of industrial relations policy and expand the agenda for union action beyond collective bargaining. His brilliant analysis of the contestation of ideas and how the terms of the policy debate were redefined holds important lessons for organized labour and policy makers in other parts of the world.'

Susan Hayter, Senior Specialist, Industrial and Employment Relations, International Labour Office, Geneva, Switzerland

'Conor Cradden has written an incisive and deeply researched book on the evolution of pluralist industrial relations theory and practice in the United Kingdom. It's a 'big picture' book that raises fundamental philosophical and policy questions regarding the place and role of trade unions in a modern market economy and, indeed, of the role of the market