1.3 - TUs + strikes Flashcards
how effectively did governments respond to changes in the workplace between 1918 and 1979?
what did the gov initially do to avoid a general strike?
subsidised miners wages for 9 months (cost of £23 mil.)
how many miners were killed + injured 1922-24?
3,600 killed
600,000 injured
when was the Sankey Commission?
1919
what did the Sankey Commission recommend?
gov ownership be continued, yet mines handed back to priv-owners in 1921
when was the Samuel Commission?
March 1926
what did the Samuel Commission recommend?
- radical restructuring of coal industry
- pay cut for miners
when did unemployment rise to almost 3 mil?
1932-33
when was the General Strike?
3rd May 1926
what happened during the General Strike?
3 mil industrial workers went on strike
why did the General Strike fail?
- not all workers went on strike
- gov was prepared (Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies)
- Churchill controlled the British Gazette + used propaganda
- TUC limited violence -> easier for gov to control
- strike was expensive = £4 mil cost for TUC
- TUC accepted a National Wage Board + no pay cuts before restructuring of mining
what did the Trade Disputes Act (1927) do?
- made sympathetic strikes illegal
- exposed unions to financial damages during strike
- scrapped ‘contracting out’
when was Barbara Castle’s White Paper introduced?
1969
what did Barbara Castle’s White Paper ‘In Place of Strife’ aim to do?
undermine union strength (but wasn’t passed bc it was unpopular)
why was there a growth in the white-collar sectors in the 1980s?
- higher disposable income (increased demand for goods + services -> more jobs)
- gov increased spending on services + created more public sector jobs
- fewer white collar jobs lost bc of automation
- managerial structures = far less distant, so firms less likely to unionise + strike
when was the Equal Pay Act?
1970
why was the Equal Pay Act limited?
it remained voluntary until 1975
when was the Sex Discrimination Act?
1975
when was the Employment Protection Act + what did it do?
1975
gave women maternity pay + can return to jobs after pregnancy
what % of doctors were female in the 1960s?
15%
what factors combined to promote female working opportunities?
- WW2
- changes in education
- no. of white collar jobs increased (more ‘suitable’ for women)
- range of social changes in ’60s + ’70s
why was there another strike in Jan 1972 + how many miners attended?
1971 NUM wanted 43% pay raise, gov offered 8%
280,000 miners
why was a 3-day week introduced in 1974?
- 1973 oil crisis -> NUM wanting 35% pay raise
- 4th Feb 81% of miners went on strike
what did a strike at Ford car factories lead to in 1978 + why is this important?
17% pay raise
Callaghan said he would only increase up to 5% - embarrassing for gov
when was Black Friday?
1921
