The Return of the British Disease?

In the Seventies and Eighties strikes were so prevalent in Britain that they were known throughout Europe and, possibly, the World as 'the British Disease. Strikes were common, often called for spurious reasons, and were highly disruptive to both everyday and commercial life. It seemed as if at the drop of a hat the nation could be brought to a standstill by strike action called by some union official or other for whatever reason they deemed appropriate.

This changed during the course of the Eighties, when technology helped the then Tory government to take on the Trade Unions; in what were often acrimonious and bitter disputes the winner proved to be Britain, with strikes becoming much more rare and limited to important matters. The relevant legislation limited union power but did not eliminate them or the need for their existence, which is to look after the welfare of their members.

Of course the Trade Unions took advantage of the situation at the time - a natural human instinct, after all, just look at babies - and indulged in muscle-flexing, partly for political reasons and partly to milk the system for the benefit of their members, culminating in the memorable 'Winter of Discontent' in 1978-9, when the Labour Government of the day lost control and almost everyone went out on strike. Shameful excesses led to eventual comeuppance for the unions and a long period in the wilderness for the Labour Party. Their opponents did not always cover themselves in glory either,  by the tactics and rhetoric used.

The result was that the 'British Disease' all but disappeared and what remained of British manufacturing was able to up its game and become competitive again on a world scale, albeit in a much smaller way than before, as low-cost producing countries (mainly in the Far East) started to dominate industrial production. In my own small manufacturing company in Coventry we were able to achieve quality that had our Japanese customers curious to come and see with their own eyes how we were able to achieve this, and had German customers amazed that we were able to deliver early and within budget...

But now strikes are making a comeback and are affecting the lives of ordinary people once again, with repeated rail strikes in the last few months having taken place, and now several other strikes being announced by air crews, pilots, luggage handlers etc. While some of the issues being discussed may possibly be justified, others are superficial and an opportunity for some old-fashioned union muscle-flexing at a time when the general public are most severely affected (Christmas holiday travel) and, therefore, the companies involved are most vulnerable.

The companies involved are not all blameless in the way they conduct themselves towards both their staff and their customers, the arch-culprit being Southern Railways and their parent company GTR. I am not sure if they are playing a game, are completely incompetent or the complexity of their network has them foxed, but they are exceedingly poor at what they are doing and provide at best a mediocre service to most of their customers, for whom the strikes are just the icing on the cake. Delays, cancellations and alterations are commonplace on their network, putting people's jobs and well-being at risk. The staff, perhaps affected by management's lack of effectiveness and leadership often appear disinterested, indifferent or worse.

My feeling is that behind all this lie the following rather traditional factors:
1. A potentially weak government which has to fight on many fronts including immigration, Brexit and a misfiring economy.
2. A Labour leader (Jeremy Corbyn) that for the first time in thirty years is firmly in the unions corner.
3. A Labour mayor in London, though not one aligned to the party leader.
4. Greedy, and possibly less than competent, top management.

The Tory government needs to avoid ideological trench warfare and involve itself in effective mediation, not be dogmatic and blinkered. They must not just do the right thing but, in this age of immediate news coverage, be clearly seen to be so doing. It would be a pity, if not an outright crime, if the 'British Disease' were allowed to become commonplace again, doing a major disservice to existing businesses, dooming new ones and effectively taking the country backwards. This must not be allowed to happen.