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John Smith's settlement? The work of the 1992–93 Labour Party—Trade Union Links Review Group
Author(s) -
WickhamJones Mark
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
industrial relations journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.525
H-Index - 3
eISSN - 1468-2338
pISSN - 0019-8692
DOI - 10.1111/irj.12124
Subject(s) - settlement (finance) , trade union , work (physics) , ask price , political science , whip (tree) , falling (accident) , political economy , economics , labour economics , economy , finance , engineering , mechanical engineering , medicine , environmental health , forestry , payment , geography
In this article, I examine the work of the 1992–93 Labour Party Trade Union Links Review Group. I ask whether the measures it proposed amounted to a new, durable settlement that governed internal relationships within the party. I detail disagreements amongst trade unions over the format that parliamentary selections should take; I evaluate the demands for reform of the party‐union link; I ask whether support for reform and for one member, one vote was falling in the early 1990s; I consider whether unions launched a ‘no say no pay campaign’ with regard to the Labour Party; I assess how much restraint was demonstrated at this time by Labour's affiliated unions and I consider what might have been at stake in these debates more generally. I conclude that there was considerable antagonism in party‐union relations during the early 1990s and that the work of the review group did not amount to an enduring settlement.