The Contraction of Collective Bargaining in Britain

Collective bargaining has been transformed since the Donovan Commission reported. Their prescription for reform has been fulfilled by both the decline in multi‐employer agreements and the greater control exercised by the single‐employer agreements that have displaced them. It has, however, been confounded by the substantial contraction in the coverage of collective agreements, the narrowing in the scope of bargaining, the decline in the depth of union involvement and the erosion of unions' organizational security. In so far as this has been caused by the recent reversal of government policy towards collective bargaining, it cannot be assumed to be permanent.