Word: britain
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...second in 1972, the third in 1974. We have constantly said not that we are opposed to such agreements, but that they are of no use, that they are not of much use. In 1963 when the tripartite partial test-ban treaty was signed between the U.S., Great Britain and the Soviet Union, there was a great discrepancy in nuclear weapons between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. At that time all three countries had in mind to prevent China from acquiring nuclear weapons, but this aim was not attained. The U.S. and Great Britain also wanted to limit...
Unfortunately for Callaghan, Britain's union-oriented labor laws do not empower the Prime Minister to order a cooling-off period when a crippling strike looms. The government also lacks the sophisticated mediation and arbitration machinery that has long been a part of U.S. labor laws. Beyond that, top-ranking union leaders now appear to have relatively little control over an ever more aggressive rank and file. Many public workers declined to return to work even after the official one-day demonstration of strength had ended...
Union members argue, with some justice, that they have already suffered enough from Britain's war on inflation. In 1975 they agreed to a "social contract," under which wage demands were held down in exchange for increased government benefits. Over the past three years, their restraint helped reduce inflation from 24.2% to about 8% last year. But, with Britain's economy bubbling from an infusion of North Sea oil, the unions feel it is time to recoup the sacrifices of the past. They regard Callaghan's effort to impose a 5% ceiling on settlements as a challenge...
...could provoke a rebellion in his own Cabinet if he tries to balance the inflationary impact of high union settlements by slashing government spending, as he threatened to do last week. "There do come times when a nation's patience may run out," Callaghan wearily admitted last week. Britain's is wearing thin...
Anticipating further stoppages, the Prime Minister last week devised a formula that would grant the lower paid manual workers an increase of about 8.5%, even though the raise exceeded his guideline. But it seemed doubtful that the workers would accept the offer. Unless there was an unexpected cooling of Britain's latest bout of union fever, Callaghan's government could be doomed to the same fate that befell the Conservative government of Edward Heath in 1974. Because Heath was unable to settle a strike by the militant mineworkers' union, his party lost its majority in a general...