Abstract
Since the end of the 1980s, the British public sector has experienced huge changes, a mix of privatisation, restructuring and marketization. The current Conservative government's approach to industrial relations is clearly an extension of the anti-union policies inherited from the Thatcher era, with a new law passed in 2016 that further restricts the right to strike. However, by comparison with the private sector, public sector employees still benefit from numerous collective agreements. This article explores the strategy conducted by the small union representing probation officers to oppose the restructuring programme enacted by the government in 2013 and to maintain some forms of collective bargaining at the national and workplace levels.