Decades of public service reform have highlighted the extent of change in the organization and management of public services, but the consequences for public sector employment relations have been more ambiguous and less straightforward to categorize (Christensen and Lægreid 2011; Pollitt and Bouckaert 2011). As the economic and financial crisis took hold and austerity measures were adopted widely across the European Union (EU), it would be easy to assume that these uncertainties have been dispelled as far-reaching reforms of public service employment relations have been implemented in many EU countries.