"As a contribution to the debate on the possibility of an end to single-channel worker representation in the UK, this paper seeks to explain the persistence of single-channel representation in Britain throughout the twentieth century. It explores the meaning of the term ‘single channel' generally, and in the British context, and examines the possibility of a causal relationship between the voluntarist approach to the regulation of industrial relations and the persistence of single-channel representation. The focus of the paper is on the Second World War and its aftermath, and the decision of the post-war government not to legislate to institute workplace representation across the board."

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