industrial relations and miner's strikes

Question 1

from the start of Heath’s premiership there were industrial disputes to deal with:

Answer 1

• a docker’s strike
  -large pay settlement for dustmen
  -postal workers’ strike
• ‘go-slow’ by power workers which led to power cuts

Question 2

in response to the problems in industrial relations, the government brought in?

Answer 2

The Industrial Relations Act

Question 3

The Industrial Relations Act was very similar to the?

Answer 3

Barbara Castle’s proposals in her white paper, in place of strife

Question 4

what did Heath also abolish?

Answer 4

the National Board fr prices and incomes

Question 5

what did the Industrial Relations Act set up?

Answer 5

an industrial relations court + provided for strike ballots + a ‘cooling off period’ before official strikes could begin

Question 6

the policy did not work as expected. why?

Answer 6

both the trade unions congress (TUC) and the consideration of British Industry (CBI) were opposed to it

Question 7

major strikes in 1972 by the?

Answer 7

miners, ambulance drivers, firefighters, civils servants, power workers, hospital staff and engine drivers

Question 8

1972 saw the highest number of strikes since the general strike of 1926 how many?

Answer 8

23,909,000

Question 9

when did the miners’ strike start?

Answer 9

on 9 january 1972- time of harsh winter weather

Question 10

the use of flying pickets, particularly the Yorkshire mines led by?

Answer 10

Arthur Scargill virtually stopped the movement of coa; around the coal around the country

Question 11

by 9 February what did government declare
and what did this do to schools

Answer 11

a state if emergency as schools were closed
-1.2 million workers were laid off

Question 12

it set up the Wilberforce Committee to examine the miners’ demands and announced a?

Answer 12

three-day week to save electricity

Question 13

NUM leader, Joe Gormley able to negotiate?

Answer 13

a generous wage settlement

Question 14

Arthur Scargill

Answer 14

played big part in the successful strikes of 1972 + 1974 as leader of Yorkshire miners

Question 15

Heath also returned to the policy of trying to manage wage demands with passing of?

Answer 15

The Industry Act of 1972

Question 16

the industry act 1972

Answer 16

aimed to involve the government , the TUC and the CBI in agreeing wages, prices, investment and benefits

Question 17

industry act policy was heavily criticised by ?

Answer 17

some on the right of the conservative party such as enoch powell

Question 18

further industrial disputes with firefighters and power workers nad in November 1973 the oil crisis led to?

Answer 18

another increased wage demand from the minors = which was beyond the limits the government wanted t impose to hold down inflation

Question 19

What did the miners introduce?

Answer 19

an overtime ban to strengthen their demands

Question 20

what did Heath hope?

Answer 20

a. compromise could be reached and a strike avoided but also announced a three-day week would be re-introduced from the beginning of 1974

Question 21

who did Heath move from the Northern Irelan office to be the minister of employment and why?

Answer 21

Willie Whitelaw = as he was considered a skill negotiator
-this failed

Question 22

the ministers refused to?

Answer 22

accept the pay offer and the government refuse to treat the miners as a special case

Question 23

when did the NUM call for a national strike?

Answer 23

in janaury 1974

Question 24

the three-day week was imposed by the Heath government to?

Answer 24

conserve electricity in response to a wave of industrial action by engineers, dockers and firefighters and the looming threat of a national coal strike in the middle of an energy crisis

Question 25

during the three-day-week fuel was?

Answer 25

rationed + speed limit of 50 miles per hour imposed on all roads

Question 26

deep cuts made to the heating and lighting of public buildings and tv closed down at?

Answer 26

10:30pm

Question 27

many industries forced to?

Answer 27

lay off workers + huge surge in number of people signing up for temporary unemployment payments
-other workers found they did long shifts on days when they were in work to make up hours

Question 28

the shortage of coal together with rising oil prices led to ?

Answer 28

balance of payment crisis

Question 29

when did heath call a general election for

Answer 29

28th February 1974
-intending the central issue of the election to be ‘who governs Britain?’

Question 30

for most of the campaign what did the opinion polls show?

Answer 30

opinion polls favored the conservatives but the final result showed small swing against the,

Question 31

labour won how many more seat than the tories?

Answer 31

5 more seats

Question 32

indirectly, what brought down the government?

Answer 32

the miners’ strike

Question 33

the general election result of February was also inconclusive leaving to a

Answer 33

hung parliament in which no party had an overall majority

Question 34

labour as the largest party formed a

Answer 34

minority government - doesn’t have an overall majority in parliament