ABSTRACT
The centuries of direct control of the workforce left a legacy which continued to effect the forms of labour relations within the yards in the inter-war years. Despite the frequently defined universality of the dockyard experience, the dispersal of the workmen served to bring different patterns of work practice, of cultural and political attitudes, to the host communities, and thus altered somewhat the nature of the local workforce. The huge decrease in their shipbuilding programme had significant ramifications for dockyard workforces and the resulting reductions in employment levels did little to accelerate the process of harmonious industrial relations. The inception of the Whitley system, the foundation of a more open style of negotiation between trade union representatives and the Admiralty, was added to by the changing nature of the Royal Dockyard workforce and a growing trade union consciousness.
