History of the B ritish Industrial Relations Field Reconsidered: Getting from the W ebbs to the New Employment Relations Paradigm

Abstract

Abstract S idney and B eatrice W ebb are commonly cited as the founders of the B ritish field of industrial relations. Are they, however, if the field is centred not on study of unions and collective bargaining but rather on the entire employment relationship? A ‘qualified yes’ answer is given; however, getting there involves major revision to the conventional historiography of the field. To illustrate, the article presents a traditional and revised family tree of British industrial relations. Numerous insights and implications follow.

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