ABSTRACT
More simply the term industrial relations is generally used to describe the relationship that exists between the management of an undertaking and its work people, organized and represented often, but not always, within a trade union framework. In the hotel and catering industry the degree of organization of employees within trade unions varies considerably. In order to see the hotel and catering industry's relations in perspective it is important to look at industrial relations generally and, in particular, to examine the development of organizations of work people and of employers. However, the most notable legislation to date was the Industrial Relations Act of 1971, which replaced most preceding legislation regarding trade unions and followed both the main political parties' examination of the increasingly complex and potentially disruptive industrial relations scene. This Act granted to an individual the right to belong or not to belong to a trade union.
