This authoritative history offers a major assessment of British industrial relations between the outbreak of the Second World War and the advent of Margaret Thatcher's government in 1979.Written by a group of leading specialists, this outstanding book examines the role of the government, the unions and employers, the influence of social welfare considerations on industrial relations policies and the patterns of strikes. Case studies focus on industrial relations in the docks, the motor manufacturing industry and road haulage between 1945 and 1979.

A History of British Industrial Relations, 1939-1979 is both an up-to-date survey and a substantial addition to the literature which includes several chapters based upon new research. As well as revealing the complexities of British industrial relations in these four decades, the book also includes consideration of the extent to which, if at all, problems of industrial relations adversely affected the performance of the British economy.