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.

---

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

---

industrial relations Cultural  

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

---

Etymology

Origin of industrial relations

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

industrial relations

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

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "Sixth form colleges are responsible for the setting of appropriate pay for their workforce and for managing their own industrial relations."

From BBC ● Jan. 7, 2025

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has previously said she is "committed to resetting industrial relations" following years of strikes.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2024

I have left very little time for dealing specifically with the question of industrial relations, though much that I have said has a bearing upon it.

From Essays in Liberalism Being the Lectures and Papers Which Were Delivered at the Liberal Summer School at Oxford, 1922 by Various