Down with Reforms

Only two months ago, Prime Minister Harold Wilson told the House of Commons: "The bill is an essential bill--essential to the balance of payments, essential to full employment. It is an essential component in ensuring the economic success of the government." Wilson was staking his credibility on the proposal of Mrs. Barbara Castle, the fiery Minister of Employment and Productivity, to empower the government to intervene in labor disputes. Last week, Wilson abandoned that first basic British labor reform in 60 years.

The Prime Minister capitulated after members of the Trades Union Congress voted 8,252,000 to 359,000 against the bill, which included provisions to fine wildcat strikers. Bowing before labor's overwhelming opposition, Wilson even promised to scrap penalties in any labor-reform measure for the lifetime of his government.

In return for his surrender, T.U.C. leaders promised to dampen wildcat strikes by ordering their unions to send workers back to the factories--if and when the leaders see such action justified. If the unions refuse, the T.U.C. would expel them. Irate Tory critics called the promise "a scrap of paper." Last year about 1,900 wildcat strikes stymied efforts to resuscitate Britain's economy. The penchant for sudden strikes stems largely from the fact that British labor contracts are not legally enforceable. Until they are, there will be little chance to change the landscape of labor anarchy in Britain.

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