The Reform of Working Life in Britain, 1963–1971

In the 1960s and 1970s both Conservative and Labour governments passed novel laws dealing with the rights of individuals at work. Overshadowed by conflicts over collective labour law, the political significance of this legislation has remained unexplored. This article suggests that the legislation struck a balance between recognizing the complexity of work in a modern society, and preserving managerial authority. It also argues that the reforms served a Conservative agenda in rooting an individual interest in work in a legal process. This was part of a pivotal challenge to the system of voluntary collective bargaining that had traditionally benefited the labour movement

Balance (ability · Collective bargaining · Labour law · Law and economics · Legislation · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Work (physics · Engineering · Law · Political and Economic history of UK and US · Public Administration