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Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 18 January 1979.

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Photo of Dennis Skinner Dennis Skinner , Bolsover 12:00, 18 January 1979

Does my right hon. Friend agree that there are two common threads running through the whole of these industrial disputes? One thread is the fact that these workers, whom many people did not care tuppence about for ages, have now seemingly turned out to be extremely important and necessary to the nation's lifeblood. Secondly, they are, in the main, low-paid workers. Is my right hon. Friend aware that the so-called imbalance of power, with a shift towards the unions, has meant that lorry drivers are still on £52 a week—they are striving to get a bit more—and that 1 million public sector workers will be on strike on Monday, some of whom are receiving less than £40 a week take-home pay? However, the Tory press and the Tories are commiserating this morning because Michael Edwardes, the British Leyland chairman, cannot manage on £100,000 a year.