Time for no-strike deals
11 Sep 2007
This letter from Tom Miers was published in The Scotsman on 11th September
Sir,
Trade Unions are an anachronism in the modern economy. As Greg Rosen points out (Opinion Focus, 10th September), they are toothless in a competitive marketplace. Their only weapon – collectively withdrawing labour through strikes or the threat of strikes – simply invites unemployment, and rightly so.
The exception is the public sector where strikes remain effective because the government prevents the citizen from choosing an alternative service provider. If the teachers go on strike, there’s nowhere else to send little Johnny. Perhaps we should consider measures whereby if the state creates a monopoly, the condition is a ‘no-strike agreement’ for its employees.