The decline of the British tyre industry - Newcastle University

The SWP progressed to the third stage of the plan devised by J Walter Thompson. The management and
trade union officials supported ‘efficiency dialogues’ but saw it of limited use because of ‘the lack of
understanding and knowledge of the participants’. 86
A solution put forward in May 1981 was an Employee
Involvement Programme aimed at changing the attitudes of managers, supervisors and shop stewards.
Dunlop agreed to participate in this experiment.
In July 1981, it was agreed that the Office should hold informal meetings with the management and unions to
implement this programme. The trade union representatives raised two matters of concern. First, they
objected to the programme being funded by the government and, second, they were opposed to the
companies being directly responsible for the training of both shop stewards and managers. 87
The first
problem was tackled by the NEDO funding the programme. The second objection was overcome by the
engagement of Professor George Bain, a leading industrial relations researcher at Warwick University, to
undertake a feasibility study at Dunlop.
Professor Bain was asked to investigate how communication/participation was working at Dunlop; the effect
that it had on developing ‘efficiency dialogues’; to identify those issues which required joint discussion and
determination, and to identify the information and training needs of employees to further the development of
the participative process. 88
From December 1981 to January 1982, he held meetings with senior group and
divisional management, and shop stewards from all the unions represented in the plant (rubber workers, staff
and craft). The initial meetings were held separately, but eventually joint meetings were held with the rubber
workers and staff and, finally with them and senior management. After two initial meetings, the craft workers
declined to take any further part in the project. This was because flexibility had been introduced into the craft
areas and was not universally supported by these workers. They did not believe that the communications
programme offered any benefits.