It has long been commonplace to claim that trade unions and worker attitudes are important constraints upon the level and growth of productivity. Such problems are seen to be especially acute in Britain. Arguments of this kind are to be found in the early stages of the Industrial Rev olution, and have been voiced on numerous occasions ever since. The debate over the relation ship between labour and productivity has been considerable over the last two decades, first with moves to reform workplace industrial relations and, more recently, with a variety of legislative and market-based initiatives. Drawing upon a variety of theories, this paper seeks to explore a number of organisational characteristics which may help to explain the relationship between labour and productivity.