ABSTRACT
The over-riding characteristic of the change in workforce attitudes post-buy-out which reflects itself in the company's industrial relations was reported to be the greater awareness of the company in its market, and an enhanced commercial realism from the employees. Formal negotiations, and indeed day-to-day relationships, were conducted against a background of greater involvement by the workers in the fortunes of the company. An issue of particular importance is the change in patterns of recognition pre- and post-buy-out. The agreements had simply been allowed to lapse and neither the employees nor the local district officials of the union had sought formal recognition. The sample of management buy-outs seems to produce a pattern of strikes and other industrial action that is no different from the general pattern of industrial action in United Kingdom manufacturing. They are neither more nor less strike prone than broadly similar companies.
