The papers in this volume reflect these diverse and contradictory trends and patterns in Canadian industrial relations in the 1980s in the face of what some observers believe is “a fundamentally altered economic and public policy environment.” These papers were presented at a symposium held at Queen’s University on November 21, 1987, to mark the 50th anniversary of industrial relations programs at Queen’s University. The purpose of the symposium, chaired by the Honourable Senator Carl Goldenberg, was to assess the state of industrial relations in the 1980s and to determine whether recent developments signal a fundamental change in Canadian industrial relations, as some commentators have argued.
The volume was edited by Pradeep Kumar, and includes:
- Introduction and Summary – By Pradeep Kumar
- Labour Relations at General Motors of Canada – By Fred Curd Jr.
- Union Approaches and Responses in the 1980s – By Sam Gindin
- Flexibility: The Critical Issue in Industrial Relations – By Harold Giles
- Breakdown of Public Sector Collective Bargaining – By John Fryer
- Industrial Relations in the 1980s: A Mix of Adversarialism and Cooperation – By John T. Dunlop
