ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the importance of a national rate for the job for school teachers in terms of the dominance of the National Union of Teachers from 1919 to 1985 within Burnham. It examines the type of arguments used to support national pay advancement especially that of felt-fair comparability, and how local management of schools might shift interest away from national wage setting systems towards business needs as defined by the performance and management of individual schools and the teachers within them. Industrial relations is an important element within the total strategic operation as it impinges on the fundamental issues of resource allocation: both the absolute level of resources and their distribution within the school system. The utilisation and cost of labour within a labour intensive service makes industrial relations a central concern. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
