Uninhibited Antagonism: Construction Hydraulics Ltd

The CIR described industrial relations in three plants of the company as ‘unorthodox’ largely because, unlike any other CIR company, poor industrial relations was not associated with high strike-proneness. In place of strikes, however, there was ‘a continuous atmosphere of social turbulence’. This was largely explained by the company’s readiness to concede in the face of threats and claims in order to maintain production to satisfy customer needs. The combination of bitter inter-union rivalry, chaotic wage-payment systems, managerial inability to control and schedule production, and a plethora of section-based negotiations handled by the convenors combined to develop an industrial relations system which the CIR considered to be ‘in a dangerous state — not because of anything that has happened in the past but because of things which might happen in the future if things remain unaltered. It is to the credit of all concerned that the potentially explosive situation whereby three shop stewards’ convenors are negotiating, almost continuously with the industrial relations manager, or his deputy, or both, or with the chief rate fixer, often under the threat of a stoppage, has been contained so far.’