Realities of Partnership at Work

'The Realities of Partnership at Work' finds evidence of work intensification, increased stress and more job insecurity where partnership has been introduced in the workplace. This definitive study, written by leading authors in the field, suggests that partnership is a utopian Third Way project designed to suppress and deny workplace conflict. The concept of 'good' partnership, following the Trade Union Congress' (TUC) six principles of partnership, is probed and tested and found to fall short of employees' and unions' expectations. Government and employer efforts to use workplace consensus as a vehicle for productivity growth inevitably exacerbate the tensions between worker and employer interest, making prospects for mutual gains illusory. Research for this book was funded by the ESRC 'Future of Work' Programme, and it includes extensive surveys and interviews in organizations from finance, aerospace and the public sector. Few subjects could be judged more vital to current policy debates than the prospects for work and employment. The Future of Work series, edited by Professor Peter Nolan, Director of the ESRC Future of Work Programme, provides the much needed evidence and theoretical advances to enhance our understanding of the critical developments most likely to impact on people's working lives.