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In part three of the British at Work, Kirsty Young hears how the Wapping Dispute of 1986, between the print workers' union and the owners of News International, along with the Miners' Strike of 1984, marked a turning point in the history of the trade union movement and UK industrial relations.

David Banks found the new technology offered at the Wapping plant a revelation after the archaic practices of Fleet Street. Those newer technologies though meant fewer jobs and print worker Billy Osborne was just one of almost 6000 who lost their jobs when they ignored a non-strike clause in their new contracts introduced by management, spending a bitter year fighting management, the police and the government.

As Kirsty describes, life for those involved in these industrial disputes was in sharp contrast to those who found the workplace in the 1980s a liberating experience. Throughout Britain heavy, traditional industries collapsed before the ruthless force of global market forces and entire communities lost stability and certainty. It was a profoundly emotional moment when millions were suddenly out of work or were often forced to travel far from home in search of a job. This marked the emasculation of the workplace and a shift in power from unions to management.