Margaret Thatchers’ legacy was not just about defeating the trade unions, it was about creating a myth that working class people did not need trade unions. People came to believe that they could be like the bosses not just in terms of buying council houses and shares in British Gas but by the power of cheap credit they could be middle class. This turned out to be an illusion. Many people are now experiencing the reality as everything cheap has disappeared, whilst real wages have not increased for many years.
In this interview with Steve Acheson we see how a weakened trade union movement has failed to defend not just basic trade union rights but has allowed multinational companies to flaunt national and European laws on Health and Safety which has led to increased injuries and deaths on building sites. Steve, like many trade union representatives over the years, has…