Labour Market Deregulation and Economic Performance: The Case of Britain's Docks

Abstract

Economic deregulation has been the principal labour market policy of the Thatcher Government during the 1980s. Unlike most workers, however, Britain's registered dockers appeared to be immune from this process until the Government suddenly announced the abolition of the National Dock Labour Scheme in April 1989. The Dock Work Bill which abolished the Scheme received Royal Assent on 3 July 1989 and the docks have since witnessed a transformation of industrial relations. As with other sectors of the economy, however, deregulation appears to have had only a short-term impact on productivity and may well impair the performance of Britain's port transport sector during the 1990s.