The Manchester Industrial Relations Society (MIRS) is a well-established and important forum for the discussion of industrial relations and employment issues within Britain.

Founded in 1964, the Society has mounted a continuous annual programme of meetings addressed by distinguished speakers from the industrial relations, human resource management and trade union world. We now have over 160 members from across the north-west of England, drawn from the trade unions, management, Acas, Industrial Law Society, and Universities.

Recent Speakers

Speakers over recent years have included: David Fairhurst, Chief People Officer, McDonald’s North Europe; Catherine Glickman, Human Resources Director, Tesco; Shaun Grady, Global Projects Leader, AstraZeneca; Tony Stark, Head of Employee Relations, Vertex; Neil Carberry, Director of Employment Affairs, CBI; Mike Emmott, CIPD; Professor Keith Ewing, University of London; John Hendy QC; Brian Doyle, Regional Employment Judge; Billy Hayes, General Secretary, Communication Workers Union; Mark Serwotka, General Secretary, Public and Commercial Services Union; Matt Wrack, General Secretary, Fire Brigades Union; Alex Bryson, National Institute of Economic and Social Research; Professor Linda Dickens, Industrial Relations Research Unit, University Warwick; Professor Keith Sisson, Industrial Relations Research Unit, University of Warwick; Professor Willie Brown, University of Cambridge; Professor Geraldine Healy, Queen Mary University of London; Will Hutton, The Observer; Paul Routledge, The Mirror; Paul Mason, BBC2 Newnight; Martin Kettle, The Guardian; Alastair Hatchet, Director, Incomes Data Services.

Next meeting

  • Professor Sian Moore, Anglia Ruskin University

    Annual Shirley Lerner Lecture

    Vocabularies of motive and the 2022-23 strike wave in Britain

    Professor Sian Moore

    Thursday 15 May 2025, 6-7.30pm at Manchester Metropolitan Business School, Lecture Theatre 33 (and online)

    This year's MIRS Shirley Lerner Annual Lecture will take place on May 15th, 6pm-7:30pm at Manchester Metropolitan Business School, Lecture Theatre 33 (and online). The lecture will be followed by a social event.

    Between 2022-23 the UK saw a wave of strike action unprecedented since the 1980s, with 3.9 million working days lost in the 12 months to May 2023 compared to an average of 450,000 per year during the 2010s. This lecture reports on research investigating the 2022-23 strikes in three public services, rail, health, and teaching. The research will explore the narratives of those taking part and the 'vocabularies of motive' and meanings those taking strike action attached to their activity.

    Register to attend in person...

    Event available on Zoom...