The legacy of Margaret Thatcher was fewer workplace rights, longer working hours and less productivity in the UK.
Yesterday’s Daily Mail celebrated the fruits of Thatcherism, with a headline that trumpeted:
Thatcher’s legacy: UK ‘is the only nation working harder than in the 1980s’
It joyously declared:
“Britain is the only country whose people work harder than they did in the 1980s, an international study has found. Margaret Thatcher’s workplace revolution has seen Britons working more hours per week than when she was in Number Ten.
“The former Tory prime minister’s success at cracking down on union restrictive practices and freeing the country’s entrepreneurial spirit means we work much harder than we used to. Meanwhile, across Europe, people now work fewer hours than they did in the 1980s.”
It quotes OECD data that shows that while working times have been falling in recent years across developed countries, they have been rising in the UK. In fact, as this 2009 EU data shows, British employees work longer hours than their counterparts in almost any other country (source : Eurofound):
All things being equal, this would make us (with Romania and Malta), the richest people in Europe. Unfortunately, our productivity lags far behind our main northern and western European neighours, according to this OECD data:
When did the UK fall behind? Well a big chunk of the ‘productivity gap’ fell into place in the 1980s, under Thatcher. Lets compare changes in productivity since 1979 between blessed economically liberated Britain and that union-infested tyranny of unreconstructed statism, France ( Again, sourced from the OECD):
As you can see, France sped ahead with productivity gains in the late 80s, just as Thatcher’s reforms kicked in. After the UK took a productivity hit in the mid-80s, the gap stabalised and finally closed under Labour. While Thatcherite reforms may not have been responsible for the loss of relative UK productivity, lack of them did not appear to hold back France. In fact, unsuprisingly, shorter working hours can be a spur to productivity. As an ETUC paper puts it::
“Protecting workers from excessive long working hours can be a driver for productivity. It prevents unproductive employers being ‘bailed out’ at the expense of workers’ time, instead forcing them to invest in a more productive organisation of the work place.”
So there you are – the Thatcher revolution: Longer hours, lower productivity: Something of which only the Daily Mail could be proud.
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers and to make the biggest impact we can in the next general election, we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 124 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.
26 Responses to “Mail masks Thatcher’s true legacy: Unions busted, hours extended, productivity held back”
Lawrence Shaw
Rule Britannia – we're working longer than ever, producing less and making less money into the bargain. Shitain. http://digs.by/jiowpj
Gavin
Mail masks Thatcher's true legacy: Unions busted, hours extended, productivity … – Left Foot Forward: Left Foo… http://bit.ly/jNJm2W
RedfishUK
I have worked in the IT industry for over20 years and since 1994 worked freelance/contract, so I have experience of a wide range of different clients. It always struck me that the more “Thatcherite” an organisation (tightly managed, long inflexible hours, fewer benefits), the less productive in real terms they are.
The most productive environment was the HQ site of a Government department; it was very structured, and ran like clockwork. The staff were well trained, supportive of each other and the working environment was excellent, with a nursery and even a social club on site!
I then moved to an Investment Bank, I was warned by a colleague that the systems were s**t, they even passed the root password for the machines around. Eventually the BoE put them on notice and very expensive consultants were brought in. The working environment was as you would expect; long hours etc but at the end of the day the output was “more heat than light”.
Another horror show was a software house which to make up the time had people working in excess of 50 hours a week, but everyone was so tired productivity was through the floor, and the number of mistakes / bugs being produced through the roof (but very good if you were paid by the hour!)
These were extremes but generally the rule is, laid back attitudes, better working environments and shorter hours produce the most productive workers and a better product. Interestingly it is the larger and more successful companies seem to have these conditions.
Anon E Mouse
With all the criticism of the work place reforms and considering the huge majority in 1997 am I alone in thinking that the Labour Party, THE LABOUR PARTY did nothing to reverse this in thirteen years?
Do you think that it’s because your stupid socialist wishes have been rejected the world over and you just need to grow up?
Could be…
modernity blog
RT @leftfootfwd: Mail masks Thatcher's true legacy: Unions busted, hours extended, productivity held back: http://bit.ly/lDOmeo reports …