1 Changing Industrial Relations 1918-1939 Flashcards
1
Q
1871 Trade Unions Act
A
- gave legal recognition to trade unions
- led to ‘new’ large unions for the skilled workers, and unskilled ones that would not be listened to by the government
2
Q
1900 TUC established the…
A
Labour Representation Committee to pusue representation for the working classes. This became the labour party
3
Q
1919-1920 disputes
A
- factories employed large numbers, and the TUC then realised it was in a position to extract concessions from employers
- this menat a slump and continued hardship throughout the 1920s for the working classes
- 1926 general strike
4
Q
Reasons for Industrial change
A
- much of British Industry after WWI was still based in the centres of iron/coalin North England, South Wales and South Scotland
- machinery was outdated, underinvested, and unable to competewith the USA
- new industries emerged, such as motor vehicles adopting the USAs mass production methods
- more light engineering factories producing consumer goods and household appliances, with good wages.
4
Q
‘two englands’
stats
A
- new + old
- cotton, mining, ship building each lost 1/3 of their workforce
- but, electrical appliances workforce increased 2.5x
- building workforce increased 33%
- service industries workforce increased 40% in the 1930s
- 1939: 11.5m awarded holiday pay
5
Q
Industrial relations 1918-1921
1917
A
- 48 strikes across Britain involving 200,000 workers
6
Q
Industrial relations 1918-1921
1918
A
relationship between government and workers deteriorating, enormous waves of unrest, injustices that developed during the war were unleashed
7
Q
Industrial relations 1918-1921
1919
A
- 32m days lost to strikes
8
Q
Industrial relations 1918-1921
1920
A
- slumping wages, increasing strikes, 84m days lost
- gov contained strikes by offering concessions
9
Q
Red Clydeside, 1919
leadup events
A
- mayday protest in 1918 called for the end of the war, attracted tens of thousands of workers
- glasgow trades council proposed to reduce the working week from 54 hours to 40
10
Q
Red Clydeside, 1919
strike itself
A
- 31st Jan 1919 900,000 demonstrators filled George square, demanding the 40 hour week
- gov was scared of a revolution in the west
- pitched battles took place between protestors and police
- scale of violence shocked union leaders
- the 40 hour week was never obtained
11
Q
Miners strike, 1921
leadup events/background context
A
- Miners Federation of Great Britain was the largest union, with over 900,000 members
- wartime govs thought miners were lazy, greedy, and incompetent
- miners were returned to private industry in 1921, wages were cut and hours were lengthened in order to compete with foreign imports
- wages were reduced because MFGB knew unemployment was high so miners wouldnt have another job to go to
12
Q
Miners strike, 1921
strike itself
A
- MFGB, National Transport Workers Federation, National Union of Railwaymen discussed possibility of united strike action to protect wages if a post-war economic slump occured
- union leaders refused to accept pay cuts
- mine owners locked their wokrers out on 1 April Governemnt used Emergency powers Act to send troops to South Wales
13
Q
Miners strike, 1921
Black Friday
A
- NUR and NTWF decidied not to strike
- largely due to the mine leaders refusing for them to be part of negotiations
- this made members reluctant to strike
- miners striked between 15 April-28 June
- they were forced to accept pay cuts that left their wages 20% lower than in 1914
- Baldwins decision to return to the gold standard left mine owners profits depleted
- their default response was to cut the miners pay, resulting in a strike by the MFGB
14
Q
General Strike,1926
leadup
A
- gov established an enquiry to miners conditions + subsidy to maintain their pay until 1st May 1926
- 1st March 1926, gov enquiry, the Samuel Commission, reccommended 13.5% pay cuts for the miners and a withdrawal of the subsidy
15
Q
General Strike, 1926
gov response to the strike
A
- they used the British Gazette as propaganda, and used the BBC to broadcast radio messages in support of the gov position
- the TUC only authorised unions to strike who could claim to have common interests with the miners - railway workers, dockers, iron, steel, transport workers, printers, miners.
- the organisation for the maintenance of supplies founded to do miners work while they were striking
15
Q
General strike, 1926
strike itself
A
- 1st May 1926: 1m miners across Britain locked out of their workplaces after refusingto accept lower wages
- TUC announced a general strike beginning on the 3rd May
16
Q
General strike, 1926
strike end
A
- collapsed when it was revealed the 1906 Trade Disputes Act gave unions legal immunity from damages for loss of profits from buisinesses would NOT apply
- union members began to return to work and the TUC appealed to the government not to vicitimise the strikers
- many of them were singled out as troublemakers
17
Q
General strike, 1926
strike result
A
- wages were slashed, and the industry lost 30% of its jobs
18
Q
Trade Disputes Act 1927
A
- prevented sympathy strikes and mass picketing
19
Q
Industrial relations, 1929-1939
What happened to membership of trade unions and as a result the communist party
A
- people left them during the depression because they had lost hope in democracy and began looking to communism
- the communist party as a result grew during the depression
- trade unions seen as incompetent by the miners
20
Q
National Unemployed Workers movement
A
- grew during the depression, but still small compared to other unions like the MFGB
21
Q
industry decline
A
- by the eve of WW2, heavy industrial heartlands were in terminal decline
- still in the most deprived parts of Britain
- union action had been unable to alleviate harsh conditions in Clyde, South Wales, Tyneside, or Yorkshire
