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Consultant editor Darren Newman looks back at the employment law position in 1979 when Margaret Thatcher came to power, and the legacy left by her Government on the workplace.
When I first began studying employment law, Margaret Thatcher was halfway through her third term as Prime Minister. Much of the law regulating trade unions and industrial action with which we are familiar today was already in place, but it was still hugely controversial and took up a good proportion of the course.
Nowadays, collective employment law is of interest only to anoraks and activists - individual employment rights are where the real interest lies. When I talk to HR professionals, I am often struck by just how alien the time before Thatcher seems. In 1979, the world of work and employment law was a very different place, and it is worth reflecting on how much things have changed.
Absolute protection
In 1979, many employers in the public and private sectors had entered into membership agreements with a particular trade union. Under this arrangement - known as the "closed shop" - continued membership of a particular trade union was a requirement of the job. Employees who refused to join or who were expelled from membership could be dismissed by their employer. Such dismissals were deemed to be automatically fair. Employing someone who was not a member of the union - or not a member of the right...