Society of Co-operative Studies Bulletin 12, 19-23

_{Bulletin 12 (Mar 1971)} 

Abstract

Two developments in the Co-operative Movement combine to highlight the importance to retail societies of paying careful attention to industrial relations and of carrying out an appraisal of personnel policies. They are, firstly, the sudden and quite dramatic reduction in the number of independent Societies with consequential effects on staff morale; and secondly, the loss of confidence by Societies in the ability of our National wages machinery to negotiate realistic wage settlements. The author offers little argument against the principle of a substantial improvement in the level of earnings of co-operative employees, but cannot see any long-term benefits either to the co-operatives or to employees if enormous "across the board" increases are negotiated which pay scant regard to productivity and efficiency, ignore the relative ability of Societies to pay, and hand cost advantages on a platter to  competitors.