Soothsayers at ACAS, the state industrial relations mediator, are predicting a post recession ‘workplace war’. http://www.hrreview.co.uk/articles/hrreview-articles/employment-law/acas-predicts-post-recession-workplace-war/7109
In a policy discussion paper titled ‘Riding out the storm: managing conflict in a recession and beyond’, patterns of conflict in the current and past recessions including declines in industrial action (in the year to June 2009 strikes fell to 129 from 155 in the previous year) are contrasted with a rise in militancy as recessions recede (175,000 days were lost in October 2009 through disputes - the highest monthly figure since July 2008).
Also examined in the interesting report are concession bargaining, unofficial action and the use of new technology in workplace disputes. http://www.acas.org.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=2694&p=0
