Wage Politics in Britain

Peter Dorey

"As a chronicle of the political debates surrounding incomes policies, this volume is as comprehensive and well-argued as one could hope for. It powerfully and vividly recreates the terms of the ideological and political conflicts...and will become the standard account of those developments." -- Industrial and Labor Relations Review."A comprehensive analysis of the many attempts at incomes control that have been introduced by Governments of both persuasions since 1945." -- The Business Economist."A much-needed reassessment of the history of income policies in Britain. It is an important book for those concerned with post-1945 British history, both political and economic, as well as for those interested in the history of industrial relations." -- Chris Wrigley, Professor of Modern British History, University of Nottingham."This readable and well-researched volume deals with the fundamental conflict in post-war British labour history between the desire of trade unions to remain collective bargainers free from state control and the needs of governments to contain wage-push inflation through incomes policies. It is a valuable contribution to an all-important debate that did so much to shape the character of Britain's post-war political economy." -- Robert Taylor, Financial Times.

• Contents: Wage politics in Britain; What is to be done about wages? The Attlee governments, 1945-1951; Seeking conciliation and consensus: The Conservatives, 1951-1964; Through deflation and devaluation to despair: The Wilson governments, 1964-1970; The U-turn beyond Selsdon: The Heath government, 1970-1974; Seeking to sustain a social contract: The Wilson-Callaghan governments, 1974-1979; Back to free collective bargaining and beyond: The Thatcher-Major governments, 1979-1997; Towards New Labour, away from incomes policy: The Labour Party, 1979-2001; The rise and fall of incomes policy in Britain since 1945; Bibliography; Index.