Part 4 : Workers' rights Flashcards
causes of the general strike of 1926 in chronological order
- impact of the first world war
- techology
- mine owners and the unions
how did the impact of the first world war contribute to the outbreak of the general strike of 1926?
- during the war - britain’s output had been high with LOTS of people working in industry
- coal mines had been nationalised, but returned to private owners afterwards
- after 1918 - was a fall in demand for coal
what did the fall in demand for coal after 1918 mean the mine owners had to to?
mine owners either had to close inefficient mines or introduce new automatic machinery that would mean fewer men were needed
how did technology contribute to the outbreak of the general strike of 1926?
- british coal mining struggled further because mines in countries like germany and the USA had more modern equipment and lower costs
- british mines could not compete and so unions called for the mines to be re-nationalised
how did mine owners and their unions contribute to the outbreak of the general strike of 1926?
- 15 april 1921 (black friday)
- mine owners announced longer working hours but a drop in wages
- miners decided to strike but without the support of other big unions they had to go back to work or lose their jobs
what happened to the price of coal in 1925?
it fell and miners faced a further wage cut
fearing a general strike with the miners backed by other big unions, the government…
subsidised the coal industry
what happened in april 1926?
the government subsidy ran out and the miners did not want a pay cut so the TUC agreed to strike
TUC
trades union congress
when did the general strike begin?
3rd may 1926
how long did the general strike last?
nine days
what were government actions during the general strike?
- the army and university students took over essential jobs in industry
- used own newspaper ‘british gazette’ as propaganda to turn the public against the strike
- the army stopped the violent clashes between the strikers and the government
what were TUC actions during the general strike?
- strikers travelled to picket other industries and at times clashed violently with the police
- they used THEIR newspaper ‘the british worker’ to explain reasons for the strike
- they set up funds to feed the families of strikers to help keep the strike going
when did the general strike end?
12th may 1926
who won the general strike of 1926 and why?
the government because the unions ran out of money and the labour party did not support the strike
after their loss of the general strike, what did miners have to do?
they had to return to work for lower wages and longer hours
what act did the government pass in 1927?
the trades disputes and trades unions act of 1927
when was the trades disputes and trades unions act passed?
1927
what did the trades disputes and trades unions act of 1927 state?
stopped unions joining together to strike or pay funds to a political party
impacts of the second world war on trade union reform
- society changes and most industries were nationalised
- trade union membership increased when the labour government passed an amended trades disputes and trade unions act
when did increased union membership become a problem?
when the 1960s brought an increase in prices and a drop in wages
what happened in 1972 and 1974?
national union of miners vote for coal strikes which lead to three-day week
when were the national union of miners vote for coal strikes?
in 1972 and 1974
what did the national unions of miners vote for coal strikes lead to?
a three-day week
