The roots of industrial anarchy
Sir: It is misguided to see the solution to Britain's industrial problem through the implementation of two such .reactionary measures as were suggested in last week's leading article (27 October); namely, making collective agreements between unions and employers legally enforceable and implementing the sixty-day cooling-off period. Or, for that mat- ter, through the abandonment of the incomes policy. They may, questionably. bring about a slight amelioration of the present situation, but in the long term we will never get anywhere unless we radically alter the relationship of workers to the means of production.
To put things as simply as possible, workers must become part owners of the companies in which they work, namely, shareholders with full voting rights. Thus if they come to regard them- selves as owners of their firm, rather than mere tools of an alien capitalist interest, their whole
attitude to the firm will change radically. Not only" that, the attitude of the management would become very much better, and to a greater extent workers and management would become members of' the same team, pulling towards the same goal. rather than pulling in opposite directions, as seems to be the case now.
However, the management of British industry and the trade union leaderships are against any such radical reform, not because it is imprac- ticable and will not work (it does, as the Yugo- slays are now proving), but because it would undermine their present entrenched positions and force them radically to change their ways and attitudes: in fact, both sides have a vested interest in the perpetuation of the present industrial class conflict.
It is only through such a radical change as is proposed by the Liberal party that we can pos- sibly look to the future of British industry with any hope. If we do not now start moving towards worker participation and control. I can foresee that we shall never settle the perpetual industrial strife that disrupts production in this country.
Stephen Harris Liberal Students' Executive, Van Mildert College, Durham
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