The Wales TUC 1974-2004:
Devolution And Industrial Politics
Joe England
pp xvi139 October 2004 Hardback
ISBN 0-7083-1919-X
. . . very good – well written and interesting. It brought it all back.’ John Monks, General Secretary of the TUC 1993–2003.
‘Much more than just a history of the Wales TUC, this is the story of industrial and social change out of which grew the new politics of devolution. A fast-moving and enjoyable read, covering thirty years that have defined modern Wales.’ David Jenkins, Wales TUC General Secretary 1984–2004
‘I very much enjoyed reading it. I was most impressed by the way academic rigour was combined with an accessible style.’ Hywel Francis, MP
‘Joe England's book sheds valuable light on the political economy of Wales during a period of dramatic change.’ Professor Chris Williams
Since 1974 the Wales TUC has represented half a million organized workers and their families. In that time the Welsh economy has been fundamentally restructured, the governance of Wales put on a completely new footing, economic liberalism has replaced Keynesianism, feminism has increasingly affected social thought and policy, and trade unionism has been pushed from the centre to the margins of political discourse.
The last quarter of the twentieth century saw major strikes in steel and coal, a return to mass unemployment, and an unprecedented attack upon trade unionism. Established against the wishes of the TUC, the Wales TUC negotiated throughout those years with Secretaries of State of varying persuasions, consistently promoting the case for investment in jobs and fair treatment for workers, sometimes with unusual outcomes. A leading campaigner for a Welsh Assembly it now has to adjust to the realities of devolution whilst seeking to halt the long-term decline in trade union membership and influence.
Joe England has written a book relevant not only to recent political and industrial history, but one that provides new material on Welsh labour history and the changing agenda of trade unionism, and raises issues concerning the role of trade unions in post-devolution Wales and the extent to which the TUC and national unions are over-centralized.