Contemporary workplace occupations in Britain: Motivations, stimuli, dynamics and outcomes

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the more militant response of a minority of workers to collective redundancy and restructuring in Britain since 2007.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper deploys secondary sources to develop a series of grounded micro‐factors to help explain the presence and absence of the deployment of the occupation tactic.

Findings

Some headway is made in explaining why only a limited number of occupations took place against redundancy and restructuring.

Practical implications

The method of occupation was not shown to be as effective as might have been thought in opposing redundancies.

Social implications

These concern union strategies and tactics for resistance to redundancy and restructuring.

Originality/value

The paper provides a grounded explanation of the phenomenon and incidence of worker occupations against collective redundancy and closure.

Citation

Gall, G. (2011), "Contemporary workplace occupations in Britain: Motivations, stimuli, dynamics and outcomes", Employee Relations, Vol. 33 No. 6, pp. 607-623. https://doi.org/10.1108/01425451111174094