Union monopoly
Sir: Mr George Gale's column in your issue of (23 July) concerning the monopoly power of trade unions is surely a major contribution towards resolving the supposed dilemma our democracy faces. History is not short of exai..,/les where groups of men in a society acquire, often because of economic reasons, monopoly power which they use to further their self interest; the furtherance of which is self justifying and to put themselves outside the law.
There is comfort for the rest of us when we remember that the monopolies of the past have been broken, not by direct confrontation but by the smashing of their economic base. To assist in this the next Conservative government should: (1) reaffirm its belief in the individual's right to join or not to join a union; outlawing the closed shop and intimidation in the pursuit of union aims; (2) leave the private sector to pay whatever pay rises it wishes, ignoring all lame ducks, whilst at the same time encouraging small businesses so as to 'break up' the huge industrial combines whose very size sows the seeds of the corporate state; (3) apply strict cash limits to the public sector, whilst considering the best methods for handing over much of the nationalised sector to the workers who work in it; (4) consider a 'national wage' to replace all benefits and allowances and which would top-up any actual wages which were below it; and (5) reduce taxation in order to encourage more productivity so that the more people earn, the more they are allowed to keep. It should nto be beyond the capabilities of even the present opposition front bench to sell such policies without any reference to trade unions at all. L.D. Corp 3 Sunte Avenue, Lindfleld Sussex
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