Konec „piva a sendvičů“
The End of “Beer and Sandwiches”

Trade Unions in British Politics of the 1990s

Summary/Abstract: The study addresses the development of politics related to the functioning of trade unions in Great Britain in the 1990s. The author analyses the approaches taken by the governments of John Major and Tony Blair. With regard to Major’s conservative administration, the study primarily analyses its link to the policies of the previous Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, who emphasised a transfer of collective rights from unions to their individual members and restrictions on strikes and protests. In contrast, Tony Blair’s objective was to establish the relationship between trade unions and the Labour Party on a new basis, since trade unions traditionally had a major influence on the Labour Party, although this practice and the concept of New Labour, friendly to the private sector, could not work simultaneously. Having taken the governance, the party also had to deal with the heritage of economic Thatcherism. However, as the author remarks, all the blame or merit related to changes in the functioning of British trade unions cannot only be attributed to the political sector. It is also important to take into account the development of the economy, particularly the strengthening of the service sector, which had to be dealt with by trade unions.

• Details
• Contents