ABSTRACT
In the ‘foreword’ to the Conservative Party’s Election Manifesto in June 1970, Heath declared that if elected, his government would ‘seek the best advice and listen carefully to it. It should not rush into decisions…it should be deliberative and thorough.’ Such a worthy approach did not seem to apply to the Industrial Relations Bill, however. Admittedly, the groundwork had been conducted during the years in opposition, but there was still considerable surprise, and some foreboding, when the newly elected Heath government immediately published a ‘consultative paper’ which only allowed for one month of discussion and feedback on the imminent industrial relations legislation. In any case, the Employment Secretary, Robert Carr, made quite clear to the TUC that the central features of the forthcoming Industrial Relations Bill were ‘non-negotiable’.
