ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with human resources in PSOs and the effective management of these resources. As will be discussed below in greater detail, human resources are still, perhaps, the key resource in relation to the delivery of public services (although the IT revolution may change that). The last twenty years have seen enormous changes in the industrial relations climate in the UK, and in the use of human resources both in the private and public sectors. Hence, not surprisingly, there have been radical changes in the scope and function of human resource management (HRM) in the public sector. Indeed, it would not be an exaggeration to suggest that prior to 1979 HRM was virtually a nonexistent function in the public sector but has now evolved to a situation where it ranks alongside financial management in terms of its degree of importance.
