This text offers an up-to-date overview of the present context and operations of the unions in the UK and the rest of Europe.

The effects of 15 years of Conservative government, the 'Thatcher years' the rise of the quality movement, European initiatives and the rise of Human Resource Management as an important management discipline mean that the role and the environment of the union has changed very significantly. The fact that 'new' unions are responding to the new challenges means that they are a real feature of the industrial and HRM landscape again.

The book covers the key areas of: * The post-war history of the unions * Union 'revival' and the relationship between unionism and HRM * The continuing relevance of collective action * Contemporary unions as organisations and their relations with politics and the law * The new international context - European unions, British unions and Europe and international union organisations.

John Sterling is Principal Lecturer in Industrial Relations at the University of Northumbria.