A revival of trade unions was widely expected when Blair’s New Labour government took over from the Conservatives in Britain in 1997. This did not occur and collective bargaining continued to retreat. This article discusses the implications of the changing economic context for the government’s legal innovations, notably, statutory trade union recognition and a minimum wage, and describes the consequences for industrial relations. It concludes that New Labour’s legacy may lie in its nurturing of the institutions of social partnership and the use of conciliation.
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