Trade unions and the government

The purpose of this study is to provide an analysis of the relation ship between trade unions and the Government so that the effect of unions on Government decision-making can be revealed and evalu ated. Only central Government and national trade union activities are examined, therefore no assessment can be made from this study of the influence which unions exercise either at local Government level or in industry.

Two points need to be made about the analysis. First, all decisions are made in an environment of competing interests which are hard to disentangle and more difficult to evaluate. This is particularly so of the individual decisions of Ministers and the collective decisions of the Cabinet. The second point is a technical one. Cabinet decisions are subject to the Official Secrets Act which restricts the use of a jor source of material. Nonetheless there is a substantial body of evidence which can be used in the examination of Government decision-making and which allows useful conclusions to be drawn from it.

In addition to using documentary evidence, much of which came from primary sources, I had discussions with trade union leaders and politicians. A number of former Conservative and Labour Cabinet Ministers talked freely and at length with me about the Govern ment's relationship with trade unions and they provided me with details about some of the most important of the relationship prob lems which have occurred. Some of the conversations were held on the express understanding that they should be confidential and should serve only to build up a background of knowledge. I have respected this confidence.

The Government and the State are treated here as synonymous terms. The State, for the purposes of practical administration, is the Government and when the Government acts it does so always in the name of the State. Governments, however, change between elections and because of elections. They contain different personnel and pursue varying policies. Where these differences are reflected in a of attitude towards trade unions one Government is dis tinguished from another in the text, otherwise the word Government is used to represent a continuous function.