The Struggle over the Employment Contracts Act 1987-1991

Abstract

The introduction of the Employment Contracts Act was opposed by many workers and has subsequently been condemned by a number of organisations. This paper attempts to address the question of why, given the widespread opposition to the proposed legislation, a general strike did not occur in an attempt to defeat the Employment Contracts Bill. It is argued that the failure of the leadership of the Council of Trade Unions to take up the call for a general strike and then to lead such an action was a key factor in the enactment of the Employment Contracts Act. Explanations for the unwillingness of the Council of Trade Unions to lead a general strike are provided both by the thesis of bureaucratic conservatism and by the policy approach adopted by the Council of Trade Unions in the preceding years.