Describe and analyse the forces shaping the employment relationship in the firefighters' case study referred to in the tutorial in Week 12 (Blyton and Turnbull, 2004:317-325).

The Blyton and Turnbull (2004) examination of the British firefighters' strike 2002-3 provides evidence of the legal exchange system that operates between employees and the employers, known as the employment relationship. "This relationship is created and maintained through complex pressures which result in the specific action of an employer and employee reaching a working agreement."(Dufty and Fells 1989: p.15) Whilst there are several factors which shape the employment relationship, this essay will focus on the three …

…Relations, 3rd ed., Palgrave Macmillan pp.317-325 Dufty,N.F. and Fells, R.E. (1989), The Dynamics of Industrial Relations in Australia, Sydney: Prentice Hall, pp.1-15 Goodman, J. (1984) Employment Relations in Industrial Society, Oxford: Philip Allen Publishers, pp.6-8 Rose,E. (2004) Employment Relations, 2nd ed., London: Prentice-Hall, pp.4-7 Todd,T. (2006) Foundations in Industrial Relations, lecture notes (Employment Relations) Whitfield,K. (1987) The Australian Labour Market: Issues, Policies and Perspectives, Sydney: Harper and Row, pp.18-20