industrial relations

American  

noun

1. (used with a plural verb) the dealings or relations of an industrial concern with its employees, with labor in general, with the public, etc.

2. (used with a singular verb) the administration of such relations, especially to maintain goodwill for an industrial concern.

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industrial relations British  

noun

1. (functioning as plural) those aspects of collective relations between management and workers' representatives which are normally covered by collective bargaining

2. (functioning as singular) the management of relations between the employers or managers of an enterprise and their employees

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industrial relations Cultural  

1. Relations between management and labor unions or between management and individual workers. Sometimes called labor relations.

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Etymology

Origin of industrial relations

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

An industrial relations showdown looms this week as Germany's powerful IG Metall union is seeking to gain control of the works council at US billionaire Elon Musk's Tesla plant outside Berlin.

From Barron's • Mar. 2, 2026

An independent industrial relations board will review the dispute over the next two days.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 16, 2025

“We will meet with EP Group next week and call for a complete reset in employee and industrial relations, the restoration of postal services and further commitments on the future of the company,” he said.

From Seattle Times • May 29, 2024

And the premium rates being demanded reflected "just how strained industrial relations" had become.

From BBC • Sep. 20, 2023

They did not stop with regulating traffic among the States and the instrumentalities thereof; they also essayed to govern production and industrial relations in the field of production.

From The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation Annotations of Cases Decided by the Supreme Court of the United States to June 30, 1952 by Corwin, Edward Samuel