Education, work and labour relations 1960-79

Question 1

What were some point for comprehensive education?

Answer 1

• The grammar schools had 3 times the resources of a secondary modern school.
• Many secondary modern schools were already shut down by the 1960’s.
• Pupils who failed the ‘eleven plus’ exam had a life with fewer opportunities. Only 2% who failed it stayed in school until 17.
• Very few pupils from working-class families failed, only favouring middle-class.
• The majority of the public didn’t like the ‘eleven plus’ exam.

Question 2

What were some points against comprehensive education?

Answer 2

• Many grammar schools produced highly successful students.
• Grammar schools were a precious opportunity for poor families for social advancement.
• In 1975 the, the government forced direct grant grammar schools to go comprehensive. Many went independent but this resulted in high fees and poor families being unable to afford them.
• There was less social equality due to rise of private schools instead of grammar schools.
• The majority of the public wanted to keep grammar schools.

Question 3

How many students went comprehensive from 1970-1979?

Answer 3

1970 = 33%
1974 = 62%
1979 = 90%

Question 4

What type of people would support comprehensive schooling?

Answer 4

Middle-class parents and teachers’ unions

Question 5

What did James Callaghan do in 1976?

Answer 5

He emphasised free and comprehensive schooling for all and the government had passed he Education act. This shows how education should be based on selection by the ‘eleven plus’ exam.

Question 6

How many grammar schools were left in 1979?

Answer 6

150

Question 7

Many students went to university in 1970 compared to 1960?

Answer 7

1960 = 5%
1970 = 9%

Question 8

What did the Education act in 1972 do?

Answer 8

Raise the leaving age from 15 to 16.

Question 9

What was introduced in 1965?

Answer 9

CSE, which was seen as a second-class qualification.

Question 10

How many students took O-levels before 1965’s CSE was introduced?

Answer 10

20%

Question 11

What is the difference between ‘blue-collar’ work and ‘white-collar’ work?

Answer 11

‘Blue-collar’ work was jobs in industry and manufacturing (this decreased in the 1960’s), whilst ‘white-collar’ work was jobs in offices or in the service sector (this increased in the 1960’s).

Question 12

Why did ‘blue-collar’ work decrease?

Answer 12

• Britain industrialised (no need for men to do the dirty jobs).
• There were more foreign competition for British manufacturers due to the loss of the empire (1947-1963).
• Britain had large and powerful Trade-Unions, which meant the prices were higher, making products uncompetitive.
• Britain preferred to preserve jobs and they had made full employment their top priority in their economic policies.

Question 13

Why did ‘white-collar’ work increase?

Answer 13

• High disposable incomes fuelled the demand for goods and services, which had previously been unaffordable, creating more jobs.
• There were a lot more public sector jobs as governments increased spendings on services like health and education.
• It was far more difficult to mechanise ‘white-collar’ jobs than ‘blue-collar’ jobs.

Question 14

What percentage of the people of England and Wales were employed in services between 1951-1981?

Answer 14

1951 = 45.8%
1961 = 48.8%
1971 = 52.4%
1981 = 60.5%

Question 15

What percentage of the people of England and Wales were employed in manufacturing between 1951-1981?

Answer 15

1951 = 36.3%
1961 = 36.3%
1971 = 31.7%
1981 = 23.1%

Question 16

What was the equal pay act?

Answer 16

In 1970, it called for ‘equal pay for equal work’. In remained voluntary until 1975, but 80% of businesses accepted this.

Question 17

What was the sex discrimination act?

Answer 17

In 1975, this made it illegal to treat other genders less favourable than yours.

Question 18

What was the employment protection act?

Answer 18

In 1975, this made it illegal to sack women because they were pregnant; it gave them the right to go back to work after birth.

Question 19

What were some acts that tried to improve relations between employers and employees but failed?

Answer 19

The Industrial Relations act (1971 and 1974), the Trade Union act (1974) and the Employment Protection act (1975).

Question 20

What was the first successful act that improved working conditions?

Answer 20

The Health and Safety at Work act, in 1974.

Question 21

What was the ‘thee-day week’?

Answer 21

Between 1971 and 1973, five states of emergency were declared. In February 1972, businesses were forced to use electricity only 3 times per week. This resulted in 800,000 workers being sent home.

Question 22

What did the government want that may have led to the ‘three-day week’?

Answer 22

• Keep unemployment and inflation low
• Keep spendings on imports lower than profits of exports.
• Maintain law and order.

Question 23

What did the NUM (National Union of Miners) want that may have led to the ‘three-day week’?

Answer 23

To ensure that their workers’ wages kept up (or exceeded) inflation. They argued that mining is a dirty and dangerous job and should be well-paid.

Question 24

What could the NUM do to ensure its goals?

Answer 24

• Limit the work they did.
• Go on strike (official or unofficial - forming picket lines to prevent anyone coming in)
• Stop working

Question 25

What did the government set up to avoid another state of emergency in 1973?

Answer 25

• In 1973, it set up the Pay Board, to examine wage deals that affected more than 1000 workers.
• The Price Commission to limit price increases for some companies.

Question 26

What was the ‘barber boom’?

Answer 26

An attempt by the government, in 1971 and 1972, to try and avoid inflation. This did not work.

Question 27

What were some consequences of the ‘barber boom’?

Answer 27

The long-term consequences were inflation and job losses as a result. In December 1973, the government slashed public spending by £1.2 billion and increased interest rates by 13%.

Question 28

What did Egyptian and Syrian forces do that caused Britian further trouble?

Answer 28

On 6 October 1973, they launched an attack on Israel (Yom Kippur War), which, in turn, got help from USA as they airlifted supplies to Israel. The Arab nations fought back by increasing the prices in oil. On October 16, they raised them by 70% and by 1974, this had become 400%.

Question 29

What were some causes of the Yom Kippur War?

Answer 29

Short-term: high costs of oil gave miners more power as they had an alternative energy source to oil. The government imposed another ‘three-day week’, which caused a lot of unemployment.
Long-term: Inflation and more spending on imports. In the ,after 1970’s, this led to the ‘winter of discontent’.

Question 30

Why did miners go on strike in 1974?

Answer 30

The miners wanted a 32% wage increase to keep up with inflation and on 4 February 1974, 81% of the miners voted to go on strike.

Question 31

What did Prime Minister Edward Heath do three days after the miners went in strike in 1974?

Answer 31

He called for a general election, with the simple question ‘who governs Britain?’.

Question 32

Why was there a ‘winter of discontent’?

Answer 32

The winter of 1978-79 was the coldest since the 1940’s and roads were blocked with ice and snow. On top of this were the strikes, such as garbage men refusing to take the garbage away, leaving piles of rubbish blocking the streets.

Question 33

What were some strikes that happened during the ‘winter of discontent’ (1978-79)?

Answer 33

• September 1978, several ford car factories went on strike and by November they won a 17% pay rise.
• 3 January 1979, oil-tanker and lorry drivers went on strike. The oil-tankers quickly got their pay rise but the lorry drivers refused to deliver goods and picketed ports to stop supplies reaching industry, shops and hospitals for 6 weeks. People started to panic buy in case they ran out of food.
• 22 January 1979, 1.5 public-sector workers went on strike, leaving schools, museums, libraries and other public buildings closed.
• By the end of January, grave diggers went on strike, leaving 225 corpses stored in a factory.

Question 34

When did the government accept defeat of the strikes that happened between the winter of 1978-79?

Answer 34

14 February

Question 35

When did all the workers that went of strike go back to work?

Answer 35

By mid-March, after the government allowed pay increases of 10-15%.

Question 36

Why was Margaret Thatcher popular in the May 1979 election?

Answer 36

She promised to limit the power of Trade Unions, with whom the public was disgusted with.