Meet Professor Ralph Darlington, Emeritus Professor of Employment Relations here at the University of Salford. Ralph joined the University in 1991 and has had an incredible career spanning more than three decades with the institution. Ralph is an expert on work, employment, industrial relations and trade unionism, authoring/co-authoring several successful books. In 2008, Ralph was appointed to a Professorship of Employment Relations and in 2018, he was made an Emeritus Professor at Salford Business School.
Recently, we connected with Ralph to find out more about his outstanding career, his favourite things about Salford and what he’s working on currently. This is what he had to say…
How did you get into academia as a career path?
Having gained years of experience as a trade union representative in different areas of employment, concerned with workplace industrial relations within its wider societal context, it seemed a natural pathway to progress onto academia as a mature student so I could study such issues in a more systematic fashion than previously possible.
Utilising skills I developed writing for union journals, I obtained a first-class honours degree in Social Studies from Liverpool John Moores University, during which I wrote a dissertation on the ‘First World War National Shop Stewards’ Movement.’ After successfully applying to the Economic and Social Research Council to help fund further study, I then undertook a one-year master’s degree and three-year PhD in industrial relations at Warwick University. During this I conducted empirical research involving numerous interviews with shopfloor union and management representatives in a thesis on the dynamics of contemporary shop stewards’ organisation on Merseyside.
Why did you choose to work at the University of Salford?
All these experiences led me onto the University of Salford. As I was determined to obtain a full-time academic job that would enable me to both lecture, as well as further pursue my research interests into industrial relations and trade unionism, Salford was the perfect fit. This was not only because of its renown industrial reputation and links, and cutting-edge HR programmes and industrial relations modules, but also because, as a Manc, it brought me back home to where my heart always lay!
What’s the best thing about being an academic at Salford?
I’ve always found the University of Salford to have a very supportive culture and environment for academics to develop and flourish, with ready availability of training to encourage new skills, along with very innovative and flexible teaching forms of delivery. Its long-standing and constantly evolving ethos of industry collaboration is also invaluable in anchoring teaching to ‘real world’ organisations and problems while, at the same time, providing opportunities for mutual research engagement.
Can you tell us about any of your career highlights to-date?
Over the years at Salford, I have absolutely loved teaching Employment Relations modules and related other modules to both undergraduate and postgraduate students. In addition, I have taken on numerous challenging and exciting roles, including being Salford Business School’s Postgraduate Research Director with responsibility for some 150 PhD students.
On the research front, I’ve authored, co-authored and edited seven books. In addition, I have had over 40 articles published in both British and international journals, plus numerous other published reports, articles in practitioner journals, blog postings and book reviews. I have presented research papers at over 85 conferences, in 15 different countries around the world, been an editorial board member of five leading journals, and my research has been funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and British Academy. I have also been an executive committee member of the British Universities Industrial Relations Association, for which I remain a fellow and honorary member, and I am currently an editorial board member of the online journal Workers of the World, published by the International Association of Strikes and Social Conflicts.
In terms of the practical relevance and engagement of my work with policymakers, I have acted in an advisory capacity for trade unions. My research has been utilised/cited in a House of Commons Library Parliamentary Report, distributed to all MPs, and by the Trades Union Congress in their submissions to the government and ILO (International Labour Organisation). It has also featured in national and local newspapers, radio and television.
In addition, I have acted asSecretary of the Manchester Industrial Relations Society, bringing together academics and practitioners in a joint forum for discussion and debate, including HR managers, trade union officers, labour lawyers, ACAS officials and employment relations/HRM (Human Resources Management) university lecturers and students drawn from across the North West.
What’s your current research focused on?
My research has always been concerned with the dynamics of trade union organisation, activity and consciousness in Britain and internationally within both contemporary and historical settings.
Since I formally retired and was honoured with an Emeritus Professorship, I have continued to be an active researcher, exploring the nature of the 2022-23 strike wave, and writing a book on the Labour Revolt in Britain 1910-14, which was published in 2023.
My current research project is a new book on the life and political trajectory of the legendary British (and international) labour leader of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Tom Mann (who incidentally lived in Levenshulme in Manchester for some years).
Do you have any published papers we can read?
Yes, most of my journal publications are available to download via my personal profile on the University’s research repository. To give a flavour of my 2023 book, you can access my paper ‘Working Class Women’s Active Participation in the 1910-14 British Labour Revolt’ here.
And finally, the all important question, where in Manchester or Salford is best to grab a coffee?
My favourite hanging out place in the centre of Manchester is undoubtedly the Northern Quarter, with its multitude of cafes, bars and restaurants, plus independent craft and record shops and much more. I just love the artistic, jazzy, bohemian ambience of the area, very reminiscent in some respects of areas of Manhattan in New York.
Two of my favourite café bars are both on Lever Street (just off Stephenson Square by the side of the arts and crafts shop, Fred Aldous) – Chapter One Books independent bookshop and café, and the Foundation Coffee House (FDN).