Fast Food in UK
4 The 51st US state?
Labour relations in the UK fast-food industry
Tony Royle
Politicians of most political persuasions have at different times emphasized the importance of the UK’s ‘special relationship’ with the US, something that was arguably at its peak during World War II and under the
Conservative Thatcher governments of the 1980s and early 1990s. Under the Thatcher administrations, government policy appeared to be drawing strongly on the US economic model and trying to move away from Europe; indeed the ‘special relationship’ has often been cited as one reason why
Britain should not be part of Europe at all. Yet, perhaps somewhat paradoxically, American policy since the 1940s has tended to be in the other direction, that is to encourage Britain to become more, not less, involved in
Europe (Palmer, 1988).
In addition, during the 1980s the UK was rapidly de-industrializing and the service sector was growing rapidly. US style, out of town shopping malls were springing up all over the UK, and the American-style ‘chaining’ of previously independent businesses such as car exhaust fitters, opticians and fast-food was becoming an established feature of British life. In addition the promotion of the American Human Resource Management (HRM) concept, the ‘individualization’ of the employment relationship, the attack on trade unions and various measures aimed at deregulating the UK labour market led some commentators to revive earlier postwar observations, that the UK had become little more than the 51st state of the US. In recent years there has also been some evidence that policy makers in European countries have sought to shift Europe towards more ‘flexible’ economic structures, influenced by the sustained growth of the US economy. In particular this has tended to manifest itself in increasing pressure on existing systems of corporate governance especially in Germany. In other words European companies are being urged to become more
Labour relations in the UK fast-food industry
Tony Royle
Politicians of most political persuasions have at different times emphasized the importance of the UK’s ‘special relationship’ with the US, something that was arguably at its peak during World War II and under the
Conservative Thatcher governments of the 1980s and early 1990s. Under the Thatcher administrations, government policy appeared to be drawing strongly on the US economic model and trying to move away from Europe; indeed the ‘special relationship’ has often been cited as one reason why
Britain should not be part of Europe at all. Yet, perhaps somewhat paradoxically, American policy since the 1940s has tended to be in the other direction, that is to encourage Britain to become more, not less, involved in
Europe (Palmer, 1988).
In addition, during the 1980s the UK was rapidly de-industrializing and the service sector was growing rapidly. US style, out of town shopping malls were springing up all over the UK, and the American-style ‘chaining’ of previously independent businesses such as car exhaust fitters, opticians and fast-food was becoming an established feature of British life. In addition the promotion of the American Human Resource Management (HRM) concept, the ‘individualization’ of the employment relationship, the attack on trade unions and various measures aimed at deregulating the UK labour market led some commentators to revive earlier postwar observations, that the UK had become little more than the 51st state of the US. In recent years there has also been some evidence that policy makers in European countries have sought to shift Europe towards more ‘flexible’ economic structures, influenced by the sustained growth of the US economy. In particular this has tended to manifest itself in increasing pressure on existing systems of corporate governance especially in Germany. In other words European companies are being urged to become more