What happened to the trade unions in Britain over the past two decades? How was the trade union strength which reached its height in the 1970s, seriously weakened by the end of the 1980s?

Inside Cowley seeks to provide some of the answers through a unique, first hand, account of trade union struggles in British Leyland and Cowley, its most militant plant, written by one of the key shop stewards involved.

’’Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past." George Orwell’s oft-quoted dictum was never more appropriate.

Chapter 1

The Roots of the Thatcher Onslaught on the Unions and a Radicalising Shop Stewards’ Movement

The trade union movement today, in the late 1990s, is still wracked by the effects of Margaret Thatcher’s highly successful onslaught on union organisation and strength during the Tory years.

Cowley: a Strengthened Left Meets a Backlash from the Right

The shop stewards’ movement in the Cowley Assembly Plant reflected the militancy of the period.

Management on the Rampage; Defending the Mutuality Agreement

Whilst the right-wing in the TGWU were preparing to take on the left, management threw down the gauntlet to the shop stewards’ movement, launching a major challenge to the most important agreement in the plant - the "mutuality" agreement.

Inside Cowley

Trade union struggles in the 1970s: Who really opened the door to the Tory onslaught?

Foreword

The Roots of the Thatcher Onslaught on the Unions and a (...)

Cowley: a Strengthened Left Meets a Backlash from the (...)

Management on the Rampage; Defending the Mutuality Agreement

Archive

Inside Cowley

Inside Cowley