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Partnership agreement adoption and survival in the British private and public sectors

Author

Listed:
  • Nicolas Bacon

    (Nottingham University Business School, Nicholas.bacon@nottingham.ac.uk)

  • Peter Samuel

    (Nottingham University Business School, peter.samuel@nottingham.ac.uk)

Abstract

This article assesses the adoption and survival of labour-management partnership agreements in Britain. In contrast to predictions that British employers will avoid partnership agreements, significantly more agreements have been signed than expected with 248 partnership agreements signed between 1990 and 2007. Partnership agreements covered almost ten percent of all British employees in 2007 and one-third of public sector employees. The majority of agreements are now in the public sector as part of government plans to reform the delivery of public services and in the devolved health services of Scotland and Wales as part of the potentially distinctive social democratic approach adopted by the devolved Governments. In contrast to predictions that, once signed, partnership agreements are unlikely to survive, four-fifths (80 percent) of all agreements survived to the close of 2007. Public sector agreements appear particularly robust.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicolas Bacon & Peter Samuel, 2009. "Partnership agreement adoption and survival in the British private and public sectors," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 23(2), pages 231-248, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:23:y:2009:i:2:p:231-248
    DOI: 10.1177/0950017009102856
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. William Brown, 2000. "Putting Partnership into Practice in Britain," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 38(2), pages 299-316, June.
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    4. Nicholas Bacon & John Storey, 2000. "New Employee Relations Strategies in Britain: Towards Individualism or Partnership?," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 38(3), pages 407-427, September.
    5. Peter Turnbull, 2003. "What Do Unions Do Now?," Journal of Labor Research, Transaction Publishers, vol. 24(3), pages 491-527, July.
    6. David E. Guest & Riccardo Peccei, 2001. "Partnership at Work: Mutuality and the Balance of Advantage," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 39(2), pages 207-236, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Sabrina Colombo & Marco Guerci & Toloue Miandar, 2019. "What Do Unions and Employers Negotiate Under the Umbrella of Corporate Social Responsibility? Comparative Evidence from the Italian Metal and Chemical Industries," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(2), pages 445-462, March.
    2. John T. Addison, 2016. "Collective bargaining systems and macroeconomic and microeconomic flexibility: the quest for appropriate institutional forms in advanced economies," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 5(1), pages 1-53, December.
    3. John T. Addison & Paulino Teixeira & Katalin Evers & Lutz Bellmann, 2015. "Pacts for Employment and Competitiveness as a Role Model? Their Effects on Firm Performance," GEMF Working Papers 2015-18, GEMF, Faculty of Economics, University of Coimbra.
    4. Addison, John T. & Teixeira, Paulino & Evers, Katalin & Bellmann, Lutz, 2015. "Pacts for Employment and Competitiveness as a Role Model? Their Effects on Firm Performance," IZA Discussion Papers 9323, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. John T. Addison, 2016. "Collective bargaining systems and macroeconomic and microeconomic flexibility: the quest for appropriate institutional forms in advanced economies," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 5(1), pages 1-53, December.
    6. Andolfatto, Dominique & Labbé, Dominique, 2012. "The Future of the French Trade Unions," management revue - Socio-Economic Studies, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 23(4), pages 323-340.
    7. Gall, Gregor, 2012. "Unions in Britain: Merely on the Margins or on the Cusp of a Comeback?," management revue - Socio-Economic Studies, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 23(4), pages 323-340.

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