ABSTRACT
The characteristic of British collective bargaining before 1972 was its virtually complete voluntary character. It is unnecessary to tell the trade unionist that, increasingly after 1945, the gap between national, or industry-wide, and local bargaining became apparent. Effective settlement of disputes and fixing of wages and conditions of work in large areas of industry, occurred only at local level. The Royal Commission on Trade Unions, reporting in 1965, strongly favoured emphasis on local bargaining. The Royal Commission concluded that not only was the tide running in favour of local bargaining, but that this was a beneficial movement. The concept of the statutory sole bargaining agent is that of a defined group of employees negotiation of whose terms and conditions is exclusively in the hands of a single registered trade union, or a group of registered trade unions forming a joint negotiating panel.
