Industrial Democracy in the UK: Precursors to the Bullock Report

Many of the debates in the British labour movement on how to ensure and implement »industrial democracy« through worker representatives on company boards reached their peak in 1977, when the Report of the Committee of Inquiry on Industrial Democracy (»the Bullock Report«) recommended the appointmen...

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Main Author: Rebecca Zahn
Format: Article
Language:deu
Published: Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory 2022-10-01
Series:Rechtsgeschichte - Legal History
Subjects:
Online Access:https://proceedings.hpsg.xyz/index.php/rg/article/view/30
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author Rebecca Zahn
author_facet Rebecca Zahn
author_sort Rebecca Zahn
collection DOAJ
description Many of the debates in the British labour movement on how to ensure and implement »industrial democracy« through worker representatives on company boards reached their peak in 1977, when the Report of the Committee of Inquiry on Industrial Democracy (»the Bullock Report«) recommended the appointment of worker representatives to the boards of companies for which they work. No consensus could be found on the Report’s implementation and the political and industrial turbulence that followed in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s resulted in the abandonment of the recommendations. However, debates over how much »say« workers should have in the running of their employers’ business and what form this »voice« should take have not subsided. This article uses the Bullock Report as an entry point to reconsider the feasibility of worker representation on company boards in the UK from a labour law perspective. In doing so, the article compares the Bullock Report with debates which took place between the two World Wars – an intellectually rich but often neglected period when the British trade union movement was at a critical point in its development. By using insights from labour law history and comparative law, the article reveals the points at which historical factors led to certain choices. An awareness of these historical factors and choices facilitates a reassessment of traditional narratives.
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spelling doaj-art-efa2eea9f729431dac3283b31cd440a22025-02-11T06:07:49ZdeuMax Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal TheoryRechtsgeschichte - Legal History1619-49932195-96172022-10-0130Industrial Democracy in the UK: Precursors to the Bullock ReportRebecca Zahn0University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK Many of the debates in the British labour movement on how to ensure and implement »industrial democracy« through worker representatives on company boards reached their peak in 1977, when the Report of the Committee of Inquiry on Industrial Democracy (»the Bullock Report«) recommended the appointment of worker representatives to the boards of companies for which they work. No consensus could be found on the Report’s implementation and the political and industrial turbulence that followed in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s resulted in the abandonment of the recommendations. However, debates over how much »say« workers should have in the running of their employers’ business and what form this »voice« should take have not subsided. This article uses the Bullock Report as an entry point to reconsider the feasibility of worker representation on company boards in the UK from a labour law perspective. In doing so, the article compares the Bullock Report with debates which took place between the two World Wars – an intellectually rich but often neglected period when the British trade union movement was at a critical point in its development. By using insights from labour law history and comparative law, the article reveals the points at which historical factors led to certain choices. An awareness of these historical factors and choices facilitates a reassessment of traditional narratives. https://proceedings.hpsg.xyz/index.php/rg/article/view/30Industrial Democracyworker representationcollective bargainingUKtrade unions
spellingShingle Rebecca Zahn
Industrial Democracy in the UK: Precursors to the Bullock Report
Rechtsgeschichte - Legal History
Industrial Democracy
worker representation
collective bargaining
UK
trade unions
title Industrial Democracy in the UK: Precursors to the Bullock Report
title_full Industrial Democracy in the UK: Precursors to the Bullock Report
title_fullStr Industrial Democracy in the UK: Precursors to the Bullock Report
title_full_unstemmed Industrial Democracy in the UK: Precursors to the Bullock Report
title_short Industrial Democracy in the UK: Precursors to the Bullock Report
title_sort industrial democracy in the uk precursors to the bullock report
topic Industrial Democracy
worker representation
collective bargaining
UK
trade unions
url https://proceedings.hpsg.xyz/index.php/rg/article/view/30
work_keys_str_mv AT rebeccazahn industrialdemocracyintheukprecursorstothebullockreport