Industrial: Heath Flashcards
What is consensus for Heath?
Problem of industrial relations became even worse: unions lacked special relationship so less sympathetic willing to negotiate
What are some key points for outlining Heaths ?
Four years of government double days lost to strike compared to Wilson
- 1972 with 23,909,000 days lost to strike led by National Unions of Mineworkers Arthur Scargill- electorate immediacy felt the effects with flying pickers brining movement of coal to a stop disrupting fuel supplies
How was the tone set in 1971?
Industrial relations Act Auguest
- aimed to balance right of individual workers with those of unions whilst reducing strikes
Included: National industrial Relations Court (NIRC) and the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) trade unions members having to register with both to enjoy better protection from unfair dismissal
- government also had power to order pre strike ballot and impose cooling period of up to 60 days
How did the unions react ?
They became militant
- many refused to register with the NIRC or the IRC with the TUC
setting out to make it unworkable - heavily undermined in 1972 when dock workers who refused to appear before the NIRC were released without charge
- encouraged a feeling amongst unions to destroy the act and Heaths governments
What did the unions do specifically miners in 1972 ?
Strike we’re 280k miners demanded a 47% pay increase well above gov policy of 8%
- government anxisouly caved in providing pay rise result felt throughout country with power outages and the public consensus of sympathy meant a government stand firm would not be recirived well and likely worsen the problem
How did it make Heaths government look ?
Government looked weak and inflation was worsened as a result which encouraged a viscous cycle of strikes to accompany the increasing standard of living causing more inflation
