Harrison Context: UK Trade Unions & The Decline Of Manufacturing And Industry

Question 1

How do Trade Unions work?

Answer 1

• A trade union is an organisation with members who are usually workers or employees.
• It looks after their interests at work by doing things like: negiotating agreements with employers on pay and conditions; discussing big changes like large scale redundancy.

Question 2

How do Unions protect the workers?

Answer 2

• Providing assistance and servives to their members, collectively bargaining for better pay and conditions for alll workers, working to improve the quality of public services, political campaigning and industrial action.

Question 3

What industries were prominent in the UK in the 1970s?

Answer 3

• National Coal Board
• British Steel
• British Rail

Question 4

What led to the decline of manufacturing and heavy Industry in the UK?

Answer 4

• It is argued that the post-war settlement between government, employers and trade unions resulted in a harmful policy regime which included nationalisation, the support of failing companies, the toleration of militant trade unions and a lack of an effective competition policy.

Question 5

What led to the decline of the Trade Unions?

Answer 5

• Unions outdated in the modern labour market.
• Increased competitive pressures
• Adverse macroeconomic shifts
• Compositional changes in the nature of the labour force.
• Explicit employer opposition to
  union activity or unions’ own organizing activities.

Question 6

What is meant by the term Privatisation?

Answer 6

• When a government-owned business, operation, or property becomes owned by a private, non-government party.