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BBC Radio 4 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced BBC Home Service.

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Programme examining the ideas and forces which shape public policy in Britain and abroad.

Programme examining the ideas and forces which shape public policy in Britain and abroad, presented by distinguished writers, journalists and academics.

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Analysis: Revenge of the Workers

01/11/2021

Revenge of the Workers

BBC Radio 4 - Analysis, Revenge of the Workers

With labour shortages from HGV drivers to restaurants, are workers gaining power again?

With labour shortages for HGV drivers, care home and restaurant staff, is power shifting from employers to workers? What will that mean for the economy, asks Philip Coggan.

The shortage of HGV drivers has been hitting the headlines, but other sectors are affected by a lack of staff too, from care homes to restaurants. This despite wages going up, and the end of the furlough scheme.  What's going on? Could it be that power is shifting away from employers to workers, for perhaps the first time since the 1970s? 
Since the 2008 financial crisis public opinion has increasingly been unfavourable towards globalisation, immigration and big corporations. This has been reflected in a shift away from an assumed pro-business stance among the mainstream political parties too. Philip Coggan speaks to a range of experts to find out what's been happening, whether workers really will gain more power, and what that might mean for the economy. 

Guests:
Ben Clift, Professor of Political Economy at the University of Warwick
Dame DeAnne Julius, Distinguished Fellow for Global Economy and Finance, Chatham House
Kate Bell, Head of Rights, International, Social and Economics at the Trades Union Congress
Rob Ford, Professor of Political Science at the University of Manchester
Jonathan Portes, Professor of Economics and Policy at King’s College, London
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UK Hospitality
Shereen Hussein, Professor of Health and Social Care Policy at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Gerwyn Davies, Public Policy Adviser and Senior Market Analyst at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

Producer: Arlene Gregorius
Sound: Gareth Jones

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