Abstract
The Trade Union Act 2016 marks a historically significant realignment in the ideological politics of trade union regulation. It represents a more authoritarian style of Conservative ideology and statecraft in the sphere of trade union regulation, and this is reflected in three main characteristics: (i) a repressive strategy of de-democratisation, undermining political resistance and stifling dissent in the democratic process; (ii) heavier reliance on direct State coercion, including the techniques of criminalisation, alongside the empowerment of employers to use civil law remedies against trade unions and workers in industrial action situations; (iii) the elevation of social order in the regulation of strike activity. The article then considers the likely prospects of the legislation, and the wider ideological significance of this turn towards authoritarianism for Conservative political thought ‘beyond neo-liberalism’.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | dww023 |
| Pages (from-to) | 299-336 |
| Number of pages | 38 |
| Journal | Industrial Law Journal |
| Volume | 45 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 6 Aug 2016 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Sept 2016 |
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This is the accepted author manuscript (AAM). The final published version (version of record) is available online via OUP at https://doi.org/10.1093/indlaw/dww023 . Please refer to any applicable terms of use of the publisher.
