Devolution and Industrial Relations: An Overview

This article presents an overview of how industrial relations have been shaped by constitutional devolution across the United Kingdom. It shows that the devolved national governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and English regional authorities led by Metro Mayors, have developed distinctive industrial relations policies that have led to variation in labour market regulation. These policies have typically been developed under the rubric of ‘fair work’ and have been pursued through a variety of methods. The latter include acting as a ‘good employer’, legislation, public procurement, and soft forms of regulation such as good employment charters which have been widely adopted by devolved authorities. The article concludes by reviewing the debate over devolution within industrial relations and notes how political change might foster further experimentation in the future.