Oxford Handbook of Human Resource Management

(Steven Felgate) #1



    1. 2 Partnership




In recent debates on the reform of the public sector, the term ‘partnership’ has been
center stage, signifying attempts to move away from adversarial relations towards
mutuality. This was a key goal of President Clinton’s promotion of partnership
working in the federal government, a policy revoked by President Bush (Masters
and Albright 2003 ). The term has been used in various ways. First, it reXects
government attempts to ally itself with professionals by stressing its concern to
try to improve their working lives. The UK government has used this rationale to
justify its pursuit of moreXexible work practices, notably amongst the school
workforce. A workforce remodeling agreement has challenged professional job
boundaries by giving whole class responsibilities to a new teaching assistant role
but at the same time it has guaranteed that certain administrative ‘burdens’ are
removed from teachers.
This new relationship with professionals is part of a broader attempt to develop
a new partnership relationship with the public sector workforce. While in the UK
the user is still privileged in public policy discourse, it is now recognized that user
interests are best served not by the viliWcation of producers but by encouraging
their engagement in the delivery of better services. As the British government has
stressed, ‘we will value public service, not denigrate it’ (Cabinet OYce 1999 : 7 ). To
this end, the ‘model’ employer approach has been resurrected, not so much as
a means of setting an example to the private sector but more by ‘using the example
of best modern employment practice’ to improve the quality of work life for its
staV(Department of Health 1998 : para. 2. 4 ).
How far the UK government has delivered on this rhetoric is debatable. The pay
position of employees in local government and health has been improved. Survey
data also suggests that public sector employees are much more likely to be
communicated with and informed than those in the private sector (Kersley et al.
2005 ). Two-thirds of public sector workers are covered by a staVsurvey, while the
Wgure is barely a third in the private sector. However, this data suggests that there
has not been a major shift in levels of employee involvement across the public
services over recent years.
The term partnership has also emerged in government attempts to change its
relationship with the trade unions. The UK government’s attitude towards the
unions has vacillated, displaying a degree of ambiguity. At times the government
has suggested aWrm commitment to working closely with the unions. ‘We recog-
nise the contribution they [the unions] can and do make to achieving shared goals.
We will continue to work in partnership with them’ (Cabinet OYce 1999 : 55 ). More
tangibly, recent pay agreements in health and local government have formally
endorsed union partnership working at the workplace level. However, the govern-
ment has continued to push through public service reforms particularly around
private sector involvement in public services which has angered the unions, while


hrm and the new public management 483
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