THE “OLD INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS” AND CORPORATE COMPETITIVENESS: A CANADIAN CASE

I would like to thank Joe Rose, Isik Zeytinoglu and John Kervin for their useful comments on an earlier draft of this article. On both sides of the Atlantic, there is much talk amongst academics and practitioners about the “new” industrial relations, based on flexibility, employee involvement, anti‐union strategies and Japanese employment practices. However, the “old” industrial relations lives on; it is concluded that where management is farsighted and unions are strong and vigilant, it has produced benefits for both parties.