Pathways to Substate Variation in the UK's Employment Relations: The Case of the Welsh Government

Abstract

The UK is often viewed as a centralised entity that has pursued neoliberal policies. Yet its political system features devolved parliaments whose governments deploy responsibilities including those linked to employment relations. This article explores the Welsh Government's role within employment relations to argue that it has shaped pathways to substate variation by (1) defining the procedural status of other actors through creating social partnership structures (2) deploying its role as employer, funder, and procurer to influence employer behaviour, and (3) making some statutory regulation. We conclude that the Welsh Government is part of an increasingly fragmented regulatory state within the UK that offers some opportunities for subnational actors to create divergences within its national system of employment relations.