The death if the ex. P.M.

With the death of Margaret Thatcher being announced there will be some sadness but also some rejoicing.
 As for me, I started in business in 1969 and the early 70s saw me and many thousands with their backs to the wall because of the militant Unions. I had to endure like other businessmen a 3 day working week. When it was back to some sort of normality it meant that folks didn't have money in their pockets due to the short time working.
 The winter of discontent in 1979 was the culmination of Union Power and something had to be done as you could not have Unions dictating how the Country was run. They were not elected Nationally.
 I don't know if I have told this before but my Father was working with me and he died in late 1975 so it was before then. He told me that there were 4 men who came to my place for a few years. One man told my Father that he was trying to get work in the Car Manufacturing trade. It was widely known that the weekly wage for car workers was £100 a week. A colossal amount in those days. I had planned that if I earned £20 a week I would be over the moon, sadly I didn't reach the target and I worked 14hours a day.
 Well this particular year the man came to the counter to give my Father the news that he had, at last managed to join the car workers in I think Birmingham. My Father then suggested that he was on a great wage of £100 a week. To this the man told him that he would be on that pay but unfortunately although he had been working there for over 3 months he had yet to put in a full shift of 40 hours a week. He told my Father that all of a sudden a Shop Steward would shout "Down Tools". He told him that everyone must do as they were told. He then said that it was often a dispute in some far off part of the Factory that had nothing to do with them. Quite often he never knew why they had been instructed to stop work. My Father laughed heartily when he told me this story.
 This was often the case. In the U.K it was known for being one of the highest Countries for industrial disputes. At least Lady Thatcher put a stop to the strength of the Trade Unions.  Had the Union Conveners been a little flexible things might have been better all round but there were too many militants.
Are we better for it? I honestly don't know. All I can say is that having a more settled workforce certainly helped me. More soon.