The Modernisation of the Public Services and Employment Relations

Ian Kessler, King’s College, London

Lamming (2003): LB Brent Social Services

• Recruitment Difficulties• Uncompetitive Salaries• Agency Staff• Poor Inductions• Supervision and Monitoring• Workload

New Labour: Modernising Government, Cabinet Office, 1999

Government matters. We all want it to deliver policies, programmes and services that will make us more healthy, more secure and better equipped to tackle the challenges we face. Government should improve the quality of our lives. Modernisation of government is vital if the government is to achieve this ambition.

David Cameron, Speech of Modern Public Service, Jan. 2011

I want one of the great achievements of thisGovernment to be the complete modernisationof our public services

Questions

• What is meant by ‘modern (public services)’?

• How might the modern connect to employment relations?

• How has this connection played itself out in practice?

Structure

• A Traditional Approach

• A ‘New’ Framework

• The Framework in Action

A Traditional Approach

The Public SectorRole of governmentin delivering good & services

Directly funded& provided:•Public sector

Directly funded•Private sector•Independent sector

Neither directlyfunded nor provided

IdeologicalRational

BIG STATE SMALL STATE

Law makingEnforcementDefenceEmergency

Welfare benefitsEducationEnvironment

HealthSocial Care

RailUtilitiesHousing

Others ?

UK Public Sector Employment (‘000)

Construction Forces Police (incl. civilians

Public admin.

Of which: civil service

Education National Health Service

Other health and social work

Other (incl. Corps.)

Total public sector

1999 111 218 231 1,175 502 1,394 1,207 393 730 5,456

2001 110 218 229 1,196 513 1,418 1,231 400 732 5,531

2003 80 222 249 1,257 557 1,528 1,402 344 792 5,871

2005 75 213 273 1,290 563 1,595 1,515 367 779 6,106

2007 62 200 282 1,285 543 1,630 1,492 360 743 6,052

2009 53 196 293 1,220 525 1,664 1,554 356 974 6,312

2011 46 194 281 1,176 513 1,651 1,591 349 891 6,177

2012 42 187 262 1,091 464 1,600 1,561 323 833 5,899

The Public Sector Employer: Distinctive?

• Public money• Essential services• Political imperatives• Distorted/opaque markets forces• Distinctive workforce

Profiles of Public and Private Sector Workers (Audit Commission, 2001)

Workers in the public sector• Have more qualifications- 44% have at least one degree or NVQ 5.• Are more likely to be female and work part

time- 63% are female /30% part time• Are more likely to be on fixed term/temp.

contracts- More than 10% of such contracts• Are older- 16% are aged 29 are below- 27% 50+• Are more likely to be in a union- 59% are union members• More the ethnically diverse- 15.6% of ethnic minority workers are in

health/social work

Workers in the private sector• Have few qualifications- 24% have at least one degree or NVQ5• Are less likely to be female and work part

time- 42% are female/23% work part time• Are less likely to be on fixed/term contracts- Under 6% on such contracts• Are younger- 31% are aged 29 or below- 21% 50+• Are less likely to belong to a union- 19% trade union members• Less ethnically diverse- 11.2 of whites in health and social work

The Public Sector Employer: Distinctive?

Public money

Essential services

Political imperatives

Distorted/opaquelabour market

Distinctive workforce

Sovereign

Model

A ‘New’ Framework

Definition of modern:

Relating to the present or recent times as opposed to the remote past (OED)

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ER & Public Management

Public Management:

Values/Assumptions

User Recipient Sovereign Citizen/Consumer

Professional Knight Knave Pawn

Provider State Private Mixed

State Hands on Hands off Handy

Structures Hierarchy Markets Networks

Management Public Administration

New Public Management Governance

ER: No Agenda Short Agenda Long Agenda (?)

Industrial Relations

Work Relations

Employment Relations

I945-79 1979-97 1997- 2010

Modern

Blair (2010)

Bureaucracies are run by people. People have interests. And whereas the market compels change, there is no similar compulsion in the public sector...I had worked out the crucial failure of the first term: the mistaken view that raising standards and performance could be separated from structural reform...I was now clear that public service reform need major structural change.

Framework in Action• New Labour Government• Work Relations• A (Laudable?) Experiment that Failed• How they tried• How they failed

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Work Relations as a Key ER Domain

Job regulation relates to the social organisation

associated with production processes, including the

allocation of tasks and responsibilities, as well as the

rules governing the determination of the terms and

conditions of employment and their implementation.

(Martin, 2003)

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New Labour Modernization & Work Relations

New LabourModernization

Effectiveness• Choice• Voice• Inclusive• Joined up

Efficiency• Prudent• Consensual• Accountable• Targeted

Network Governance• Local Govt (incl. Social Care/Education)

• Healthcare• Civil Service

Work Relations• Professions• Roles• Ways of Working• Actors• Infrastructure

Diversity(High-Low)

Control(Tight-Loose)

Values

Structure/Management

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Professions: From Knave to Pawn?TEACHER SOCIAL WORKER NURSE

Pawn• Choice• Voice• Control

Tough• Jurisdictions• Capability not Status• Diluted Authority

Dilemma

Knave Knight

Love• Reward• Return to Core: Re-Modelling• Deepen Professionalization Outcomes

• Crisis of Identity• Removed• Neutered

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Work Roles

NEW ROLES

Effectiveness Efficiency

Recast• Teaching Assistant• HCA• CSO• Gateway Workers

Novel• Support, Time & Recovery• Emergency Care Practitioner• Parent Support Advisor• Community Development Worker

Outcomes?

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New Ways of Working• Community Engagement

– Outreach– Crisis Resolution– Family-Nurse Practitioner

• Integration– Every Child Matters– Team Work– Multi disciplinary– Cross Agency

• Efficiency– Lean Production– Outsourcing

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New Actors: Service Users

Users as:• Employer• Worker• Partner

User Driven Services

Co-Design

CHOICE VOICE CONTROL

Co-Production Co-Supervision

? ?

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Supportive Infrastructure

Capabilities• Formal• Flexible• Generic• Transferable

New Roles New Ways ofWorking New ActorsNew Professions

INFRASTRUCTURE

Planning• Demand/Supply• Sector skills agreement• Training• Accreditation

Regulation• Safety• Registration

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ER & Public Management

Public Management:

Values/Assumptions Coalition?

User Recipient Sovereign Citizen/ConsumerCitizen/

Consumer

Professional Knight Knave Pawn Knight (?)

Provider State Private Mixed Open: Any Qualified

State Hands on Hands off Handy Hands-Off

Structures Hierarchy Markets Networks (Top Down)

Networks (Bottom Down)

Management Public Administration

New Public Management Governance (1) Governance (2)

ER: No Agenda Short Agenda Long Agenda (?) Confused Agenda

Industrial Relations

Work Relations

Employment Relations

Summary• What is meant by ‘modern (public services)?

- Of the time- Different times

• How might the modern connect to employment relations?

- Interface between ER/PM- Closer links between disciplines

• How has this connection played itself out in practice?

- New Labour and Work Relations: A Failed Experiment?