industrial relations Flashcards
what act first gave legal recognition to unions?
1871 Trade unions act which caused a series of new unions to develop for the unskilled workers.
what was much of Britain industry made up of after the war?
- coal
- iron
- steel
what areas suffered the most economic hardship?
area of heavy industry.
where were the new industries located?
in the midlands and south east of Britain, the most noticable was the motor industry.
- more light engineering of domestic goods.
what is meant by the term “two Englands” ?
was a term used to describe England during the interwar years. it differentiated between the new industry and the old, for example minning, cotton and ship building each lost 1/3 of their workforce during the 20’s.
what industries increased during the 1918-30 period?
- electrical appliences increased thier work force by 2 and 1/2 times
- building industry increased their workforce by 33%
- service industries and hotels also increased in 1939 11.5 million were awarded holiday pay for the first time.
role of Lloyd George and the unions 1918 - 1920?
- Lloyd George negotiated with the Trade union movement in order to keep strikes at a minimum.
- this was because the wartime economy needed a high degree of labour discipline.
examples of wartime strikes? (WW1)
- 1917; 48 strikes across Britain that involved over 200,000 workers
why were relationships with the minors deteriorating 1918?
- 1918 following the armistice there was an enormous wave of unrest across the country as not only workers, but soldiers and the police were went on strike as resentments for the miss-justices that went on during the war provoked them.
what stats show that striking declined between 1919 and 1920? what is the reason for this?
- 1918 = 32 million days lost to strikes
- 1920 = 25 million
- this is due to factories taking on more workers, with new jobs that paid better.
why did the decline in strikes in 1920 not last very long?
- because the following year unemployment slumped and wages declined which cause an increase in strikes
- days lost reached 84 million.
what were the grievances of the strikers based on?
- wages
- rising prices
- food shortages
- minority of strikers expressed political and ideological grievances.
- however gov was able to contain strikes making a revolution unlikely
when was the first minors strike?
1921
what was the MFGB?
the minors federation of Great Britain - the largest union with over 900,000 members
what happened after the war to the mines?
- they were run by gov during the war which minors liked due to the private owners being “lazy” and “incompetent”
- they were given back to private control after the war which meant wages fell and hours lengthened in order to keep up with foreign competitors
why were the private owners of the mines able to raise prices and increase their hours (20’s)?
- because in 1921 unemployment was very high and therefore they knew if people left they would not find another job so they need the job they had.
who was involved in the discussion of a united strike 20’s?
- MFGB
- the national transport workers federation (NTWF)
- national union of railwaymen (NUR)
- this was discussed incase post-war economy slumped
- minors strike could easially be sorted by importing coal but if the dockworkers and railway men refused then the consequences could be crippling.
what happened when union leaders refused to accept the pay cuts?
mine leaders locked out their workers on April 1st and the government used the emergency powers act to send troops to south Wales in anticipation od unrest and violence.
what stopped the miners attempt to strike in 1921?
- the two branches on the tripple aliance (NUR AND NTWF) abandoned their cause
- this became none as black Friday
- the reason they didn’t want to strike is because the minors didn’t want them involved in negotiations which was a crucial mistake for the minors.
did the minors continue to strike even though they had been abandoned by the tripple alliance?
- yes April 15th 1921 - 28th June
- not for long however as they realised the could not beat the mine owners alone
- they were forced to accept a pay cut which left their wages lower than in 194 (20% lower).
who did the minors hope to be elected in 1924?
labour - however due to labs not achieving any of their core goals they were reluctant to assist the unions.
what was Stanley Baldiwn’s decision regarding the economy ? and how did this effect the minors?
- returned Britain to the gold standard
- mine owners profits seriously depleated
- their immediate reaction was to cut wages
- resulting in another strike by the MFGB
- led by Arthur Cook
what was the govs response fearing a general strike from minors?
- established an enquiry into miners’ conditions and offered a subsidy to mine owners that would maintain pay until May 1st 1969
- March 1926 the gov enquiry, the Samuel commission recommended a 13.5% pay cut for minors with the withdrawal of the subsidy
- 1926 a million workers in Britain were locked out after refusing to accept pay cuts.
what did the TUC announce in May?
announced a general strike would begin in May 3rd
what was the govs response to the strike?
- published own propaganda paper e.g. the British Gazette and using the BBC to broadcast anti-union feelings
- ## labs distanced themselves from the trade unions
why did union members begin to return to work?
when it was found that the 1906 were there was a trade disputes act which immuned minors legally from famages and claims for loss of profit frim businesses would not apply.
- they went back to work
- TUC appealled to the gov not to victimise the strikers
how did Baldwin respond to the strikers?
- told them he could not guarentee their rights of workers and many were labeled trouble makers
- wages for minors were slashed
- and the industry lost 30% of jobs
the strijke had been a catastrophic faillure for the minors
what was the new trade disputes act and was it enforced?
1927 prevented sympathetic strikers and mass picketing.
why were strikes significantly weakenened and when?
- after the failure of the general strike
- 1930’s striking declined
- mass unemployment of the depression meant unions revenues had depleted and membership had declined for 8 mill in 1922 to 4.5 mil in 1932
- an acception was the communist-party backed national unemployed workers movement which grew in size during the depressuon
