Industrial Relations and New Technology Routledge Library Editions: The Economics and Business of Technology Series

New technology arguably provided the greatest challenge to industrial relations since the formation of unions. The problems raised led to a whole range of responses - from rejection of the new technology to acceptance fo the change with management and workers making new (and sometimes unheard of) agreements. This book, originally published in 1986 and based on extensive original research, examines the changes in industrial relations which the new technology of the 1980s caused, analysing the implications for the workforce and the reactions of the management and trade unions to the challenges.

Part 1: Perspectives on Technological Change 1. The Technological Debate 2. The Constraints on Choice and the Politics of Change 3. The Industrial Relations Context of Technological Change 4. Participating in Change Part 2: A Case Study - The Brewing Industry 5. A Model and a Methodology 6. The Application of Micro-Technology in the Brewing Industry 7. Implications for the Workplace 8. The Management/Union Relationship 9. Strategies and Policy Implications 10. Conclusions. Appendices.