A Triumph of Voluntarism? Industrial Relations and Strikes in Northern Ireland During World War Two

Flanders (1974) considered the Second World War to be the great social triumph and vindication of voluntarism in British industrial relations. This paper considers the experience of one region, Northern Ireland, functioning in a unique social and political context and considers the experience of its wartime industrial relations system. The political framework, trade union growth and representation, collective bargaining, strike activity including the major munitions strike of 1944 which may have provoked Defence Regulations Order 1AA, labour management and Joint Production Committees are all examined. The paper gives qualified support to Flanders’ conclusion.

Contravention and Conformity in EIA: an investigation into regulatory compliance in Northern Ireland

Regulatory compliance has emerged as a central feature in the legitimisation of the planning system, yet it remains relatively marginalised from academic scrutiny. This paper investigates the relationship between regulatory compliance and projects subjected to Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs). It reviews, through empirical field study, the levels of conformity with EIA driven planning approvals and considers, with the assistance of inputs from experienced professionals and theoretical perspectives of regulatory compliance how these might be improved.

Temporal and spatial variation in otter Lutra lutra diet in Northern Ireland

The European otter (Lutra lutra L.) has a highly specialised diet that is composed predominantly of fish. The current study investigates the percentage composition of food items in otter spraints collected in six river catchments in Northern Ireland in 1980 and again from the same locations in 2003. Spraints contained significantly more salmonids than any other prey item. The composition of spraints differed among catchments. More salmonids and three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus L.) were found in spraints from the Glens of Antrim, while spraints from the Lagan catchment had significantly more eel (Anguilla anguilla L.). There were significantly more spraints containing non-fish food items in 2003 compared with 1980. These non-fish items were insects, amphipods, birds, rats (Rattus norvegicus Berkenhout) and lagomorphs. Increased consumption of non-fish items was apparent in all but one of the river catchments. The mean diversity of spraint composition was significantly greater in 2003 than in 1980. Therefore, our findings indicate that otters have diversified their diet since 1980 and now eat more non-fish prey.

Minimum Wage Regulation under Devolution in Northern Ireland

This paper assesses the development and functioning of regional minimum wage regulation in Northern Ireland in the interwar period under a federal form of devolution. Unlike current devolution arrangements in Scotland and Wales, this gave the Stormont Parliament powers over employment and minimum wage regulation. Northern Ireland Trade Boards were set up by the Ulster Unionist Government under the Trade Boards (Northern Ireland) Act 1923 and functioned along the same lines as those in Great Britain. Uniquely in the UK in this period, employer opposition resulted in the main Trade Board in the Irish Linen Industry being replaced by voluntary collective bargaining machinery. About one-quarter of employees were covered by minimum wage regulation, including two-thirds of females in Belfast, keeping a protective floor under low pay.