Turning full circle? Changing industrial relations in the magazine industry in Britain

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to examine the processes and outcomes under which employers in the magazine industry in the UK ended the collective bargaining agreements for journalists with the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and instituted a unilateral‐based regime in the employment relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

The research data were generated primarily via interviews with lay office holders and full‐time paid officials of the NUJ.

Findings

The journalists' union maintained a presence despite employer hostility and has been able to use this as a basis to regain collective bargaining agreements. Nonetheless, the relative weakness of the NUJ has meant that it has been unable to date to force the magazine employers into conducting genuine collective bargaining. This represents a case of impeded but not dissipated “union renewal”, suggesting the union renewal could be termed as being of a “stunted” nature.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of the research should be taken as being preliminary given that the NUJ has only recently regained union recognition and begun conducting collective bargaining again. A longer timescale will allow more definitive judgements to be made.

Practical implications

The paper indicates the significant challenges that trade unions face to reassert themselves in the workplace in the face of employer ambivalence and hostility despite regaining formal union recognition rights.

Originality/value

This paper provides empirical evidence of how trade unions are progressing after regaining union recognition.

Citation

Gall, G. (2007), "Turning full circle? Changing industrial relations in the magazine industry in Britain", Personnel Review, Vol. 36 No. 1, pp. 91-108. https://doi.org/10.1108/00483480710716731