Workplace industrial relations in the context of a failing school

Over the last two decades the UK public sector has seen the introduction of 'new managerialism' the devolvement to the local level of management initiatives and techniques more traditionally associated with the private sector; this has arguably increased industrial relations tensions in the workplace as both line managers and workers have become involved in actions and negotiations new to them. This thesis provides a unique, in-depth, consideration of the impact on industrial relations of new managerialism in a 'failing' secondary comprehensive school; it identifies how devolved management and public accountability has inflamed the workplace industrial relations of that school. By taking a qualitative, multi-method, case study approach to the research, the thesis investigates at first hand how management and teachers respond to centralised government initiatives at the school level. It considers, and contributes to, the debate surrounding the extent of managerial autonomy that public sector managers have and how managers may take differing approaches and achieve different results when implementing new managerialist initiatives at the local level. As a study of workplace industrial relations, the thesis, engages with and significantly contributes to, the academic literature stressing the importance of local trade union leadership to trade union activity; indeed, the work furthers the debate concerning the inter-relationship between political and trade union activism and the importance of political factions within trade unions, areas which are under-researched. By exploring the tensions between trade union members and their official union representatives, the thesis examines the complex inter-relationship between union democracy and union bureaucracy. Finally, the case study identifies policy implications for both the government and the trade union, particularly with respect to the closing and re-opening of 'failing' schools. Acknowledgements Abstract Summary of Abbreviations CONTENTS Introduction 1 The case of the 'failing' school introducing 'Parkville' 1 The aims of the thesis 4 The dynamics of workplace industrial relations 4 The thesis an outline 10 Chapter One: Public Sector Reform and 'New Managerialism' 14 Public Sector Refonn 15 'New Managerialism' in the Public Sector 22 Marketisation and Commercialisation 23 Decentralisation 26 Performance Management 31 New Managerialism in the education (schools) sector 36 Conclusion 48 Chapter Two: Trade unions in the Public Sector the case of teachers 52 Marginalisation and demise of public sector unions? 52 Teachers and their Organisations 58 The search for professional self-regulation and unity 62 Professionalism and trade union membership a dichotomy? 65 The nature of teacher organisations 68 The National Union of Teachers (NUT) 71 Sectionalism within the teacher trade union movement 73 The NUT and factionalism 76 Political factions, militancy and union renewal 81 Conclusion 85 Chapter Three: Methodology 89 Methodology taking a realist approach 89 Research design the use of case study 94 The fieldwork carrying the egg! 99 Gaining access 100 The lions' den 103 Blowing up balloons the gate begins to open 104 A change of 'gatekeeper' 108 Active research being (Miss' 109 The inner-sanctum: the 'smokers room' 113 Inside the (outsiders' 114 Talking teachers 115 The closing of Parkville 'my school' 117 Afterword 118 Conclusion 122 Chapter Four: Parkville setting the scene 125 Background 125 Parkville and its pupils 129 The buildings 129 The pupils 130 Parkville's 'Actors' 132 The management: the Headteacher, Deputies and Acting Head 132 The Teachers 137 The LEA and the Government 139 Conclusion 142 Chapter Five: New Managerialism at Parkville 144 Micro-politics at Parkville 144 Economy, efficiency and effectiveness at Parkville controlling the budget 150 Economy, efficiency and effectiveness at Parkville monitoring perfonnance 157 New Managerialism and HRM consultation and communication at Parkville 167 New Managerialism and new management at Parkville 178 New Managerialism and the working environment at Parkville 183 Conclusion 188 Chapter Six: Collective defensiveness or militant action? : trade union activity at Parkville 192 The Union in Parkville 192 Parkville's 'militant' teachers 195 New Managerialism and collective action at Parkville 203 Conclusion 220 Chapter Seven: Leadership, politics and the involvement of the regional union at Parkville Local union leadership and politics at Parkville Union bureaucracy the NUT failing the 'failing' school? Not only the teachers the union and the support staff at Parkville The NUTs 'successes' at Parkville Conclusion Chapter Eight: Conclusions New Managerialism and industrial relations in Parkville Trade union organisation and Parkville Policy implications Concluding comments Parkville: the postscript Parkville becomes Parkville Specialist School (PSS) Parkville Specialist School in search of success Parkville staff and the new school Parkville Specialist School what price success? 222 223 235 246 247 251