BRITAIN IS A grossly uncqual society, The top ten bottom 50% only 6%. The top three per cent own shen 156 or privately-owned land and shares The top 20 per cent have 34%6 of the income the bottom 2 on Between 1939 and 1987 reat income for the poorest 10% of families, afer housing costs, fell i Real incomes for the top 1% after housing costs, nose 72%.
Yet the Tories the meagre official Labour policy. of a legally-fixed mininin wase of £3.40 an.hour, is too generous: it would cost too much, drite businesses to ruin, and thus destroy jobs.
Why a drastic shift of income from poor to rich shomieshe health, bot a mild shift from rich to poor bring sudden ruin, they never explain!
According to detailed economic research, workers in British wealth the maoufacturing industry produce at least E200 in new Talue for dach 5100 tbey receive in wages. Workers get the equivalent of only half, or less; of the value they produce, and the other half goes to the capitalists and to the State Of course, resources are needed-to.invest in new technology, But the workers and citizens should be able to decide. democratically and collectively. how much will be invested, and how In ady case, the capitalists are paying out fully 70% of theit profits in diridends - money which the rich receive for not doing anything productive, but simply for owning shares.
No zod-given economic law lays it down that workers can only get 50% or 40% of the value they produce, rather than 60% or 70% any more than an eternal law lays down that shareholders should get 70% of profits in dividends, rather than 7% Wages can be increased at the expense of the rich.
As for the shoddy small businesses that would be ruined by having to pay 13.40 an hour -such threats of ruin can be used against any public safeguards for workers.
What about the small businesses which squeeze a profit from outdated technology by super-Exploitation, and are ruined by-having to provide sale work conditions? Or by having to allow workers enough time oll and breaks in work time, to avoid exhaustion? The quicker they are ruined, and those workers are found productive jobs in decent which to base a new powerful socialist trade union movement. We do not need Tony Blair's blinkers: we need file for a better policy which fundamental rights as:
(a) The right to belong to a trade union for all employees including those employed at GCHO, the police, and the armed services.
(b) Legally enforceable rights for unions to gain access to workers to join unions, and for (c) A legally recognised right chosen, and to take other forms of industrial action.
(d) The right to strike for all trade unionists, including secondary or solidarity action, without fear of dismissal, fines or sequestration of union