Conflict at Work: The Pattern of Disputes in Britain since 1980

The past quarter century in Britain has seen a concurrent decline in collective expressions of conflict and growth in the individualised expression of conflict, most transparently manifest in a dramatic fall in the incidence of strikes and a rising tide of claims to the Employment Tribunal. This paper investigates the scale of the changes and discusses its causes. It also draws upon a wider range of indicators and sources to investigate changes in the overall level of workplace discontent. A further concern is the role of workplace institutions, including procedures for dealing with disputes as well as arrangements for employee representation and involvement.