Trade Union Recognition in Britain: An Emerging Crisis for Trade Unions?

This article examines recent developments in union recognition in Britain and assesses the influence of the statutory union recognition provisions contained in the Employment Relations Act 1999 upon the gaining of union recognition and the capacity of unions to take advantage of this more favourable legal environment. It details the significant increase in new union recognition agreements, concluding that the new law is one among a number of factors explaining this growth. However, the impact of the rise in new agreements is found to have made a negligible impact on aggregate union recognition coverage, indicating the limitations to union capacity to significantly increase coverage with a more favourable environment at hand.