Margaret Thatcher - Trade Unions

Question 1

How did Thatcher approach the unions

Answer 1

She went to reduce the power of trade unions and end industrial disputes that she felt were holding back British industry

Question 2

What were the acts Thatcher used to attack the Trade Unions

Answer 2

The Employment Acts
1980 Employment Act - Ended “closed shop” and sympathy strikes
1982 Employment Act - Unions could be sued for illegal strike action
1984 Employment Act - Strikes had to be approved by the majority of union members
Further acts in 88, 89 and 90 further weakened unions

Question 3

What happened in the 1984-85 Miners Strike

Answer 3

-NUM leader Scargill made tactical errors that undermined the strike effort, such as starting it after Winter and not balloting members about the strike action
He held 79% disapproval rating during the strike

Question 4

What were Thatcher’s successes in defeating the miners

Answer 4

• Total number of TU members fell from 13.5 million in 1979 to under 10 million in 1990
• Total number of days lost to strike action fell from 10.5 million in 1980-84 to 0.8 million in 1990-1994

Question 5

What were Thatcher’s failures in defeating the miners

Answer 5

• Communities in industrial areas were devastated by mass unemployment, high crime rates and emotional suffering
• Crime rates doubled during the 1980’s