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Are Unions the Enemy of the Working Class?
Collection StructureFiring Line broadcast records > Episode guide > Are Unions the Enemy of the Working Class?
Item Title Are Unions the Enemy of the Working Class?
Guest Scanlon, Hugh
Host Buckley, William F., Jr. (1925-2008)
Date CreatedAugust 22, 1973
Description

The crisis that would the following year lead to the downfall of Edward Heath's

Conservative government had arguably been exacerbated by the Industrial Relations Bill, formulated by the Labour government of Harold Wilson but eventually passed under Heath. Mr. Scanlon, a hard-line union man, gives no quarter. HS: "If it were a matter of basic human rights, I would have to agree with you. But I submit to you that the question of the relationships that exist between management and workers is not a question of basic human rights." WFB: "Yes. Well,... Suppose I worked in your union and you called a strike. Would I have the basic human right to defy that strike and proceed to my station at work if I chose to do so?" HS: "I don't think that that is a basic human right." WFB: "Why not?" HS: "Because I believe the principles of democracy are that the minority will obey the will of the majority." WFB: "But suppose that the Parliament, representing the larger majority, says it is one of my human rights. Then am I not right in observing

the democratic franchise so formulated?" HS: "You are right in obeying it, but you

equally can't deny our right to disobey it."

Language(s)
Country of Origin
Place RecordedLondon, England, United Kingdom
DimensionsDuration: 60 minutes
FormatText
Medium television programs
Aspect Ratio
4:3
Color
color
Soundtrack
sound
Hoover IDProgram S0106
Record Number80040.349
NotesVideo not currently available for purchase.
RightsCopyright held by Stanford University. This copy is provided for educational and research purposes only. No publication, further reproduction, or reuse of copies, beyond fair use, may be made without the express written permission of the Hoover Institution Library & Archives on behalf of Stanford University.
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