ABSTRACT
The chapter presents insightful perspectives from actors involved in the ERA negotiations, which illustrate the legislation proved to be far more contentious and divisive than the NMW (1998). The chapter focuses on key elements of the ERA, in particular the size of the bargaining unit eligible for trade union recognition. The extent of the success associated with trade unions, the TUC and Labour ministers using formal and informal to contest policy dilution are examined. The group contestation emerged through strategising in informal spaces in order to offset environmental constraints. However, it is the critical role of informal and bilateral negotiations between the Labour leadership and individual trade union leaders, which ultimately shaped the ERA framework. The progressive dilution in the strength of the framework is traced at each stage in the policy-making process starting with the government’s White Paper, ‘Fairness at Work’. The significant weaknesses in the ERA framework and the associated divisions between trade unions contributed to the rising levels of trade union dissatisfaction with the New Labour project.
