What were the Causes and Consequences of Industrial Unrest, 1918-29? Flashcards
Trade Union Movement- Growth
Membership rose from 4 million to 6 million in WW1
Increased collective bargaining power of unions, made them more confident + assertive
Government depended on the workers in vital industries (steel, engineering, shipbuilding, mining)- so forced to appease unions
Trade Union Movement- Wartime Strikes
DLG negotiated to keep unrest low
First two years of war calm, last two- growing militancy + increasing strike action
Wartime strikes- 48 in 1917, over 200,000 workers
By 1918, relationship between gov + unions deteriorating
Trade Union Movement- Strike Example
Engineering workers in shipbuilding industry on River Clyde in Glasgow- defied union leaders + went on strike for higher wages Feb 1915
Disrupted supply of munitions, workers denounced as unpatriotic in press, but won most of their demands
Post-War Economic Context- Working Week
LG had bought off workers in coal, rail, and docking in 1919- generous pay + working hours
Created 8 hour working day (48 hour week)
13% drop in working hours, harmed productivity + output, employers paying workers more for less work (48 vs 60 pre-war)
Post-War Economic Context- Recession
Deep recession, end of 1920
Unemployment at 12%- traditional industries worst hit
Global trade declined due to competition (US + Japan)
Bad in Wales + Tyneside, slump in wages + rise in cost of living by 25%- increase in trade union militancy- 32 million days lost 1919, 84 million lost 1921
Post-War Economic Context- Denationalisation
Returned control of mines to private owners in March 1921 (controlled under DORA)
Mine owners cut wages + lengthened working hours
Led to increased militancy- 1921 Miners’ Strike + 1926 General Strike
Case Study 1: The Miners’ Strike, 1921- Context
LG had bought off workers in coal, rail, and docking in 1919- generous pay + working hours
Created 8 hour working day (48 hour week)
13% drop in working hours, harmed productivity + output, employers paying workers more for less work (48 vs 60 pre-war)
Case Study 1: The Miners’ Strike, 1921- MFGB
1921- Miners Federation of Great Britain (MFGB) largest union in Britain, 900,000 members
Confident that nationalised control would continue- had benefited from national ownership
Case Study 1: The Miners’ Strike, 1921- Denationalisation
March 1921- Mines + other nationalised industries returned to owners
Cut wages- up to 20% and lengthened working hours to make efficiency savings
High unemployment meant there were no other jobs
Case Study 1: The Miners’ Strike, 1921- Response to Pay Cuts
1 April, trade union leaders refused to accept pay cuts- mine owners locked out striking workers
Case Study 1: The Miners’ Strike, 1921- Strike Planning
MFGB, National Union of Railwaymen (NUR), and National Transport Workers Federation (NTWF) planned joint strike
MFGB stood little chance of success alone, gov could import coal
Dockworkers (NTWF) and railway workers (NUR) would refused to unload or transport coal
Known as the ‘Triple Alliance’
Case Study 1: The Miners’ Strike, 1921- Actuality
MFGB were abandoned by other two unions- concerned workers would lose their jobs
15 April, miners went on strike, but forced back to work by 28 June
Forced to accept deep pay cuts- wages 20% lower than 1914
Case Study 2: The General Strike, 1926- MacDonald
Labour government elected- hopeful
But MacDonald’s Labour gov was moderate, not radical
Did little to help industrial workers + took no steps towards re-nationalising
Case Study 2: The General Strike, 1926- Baldwin
Baldwin’s Conservative gov worsened situation
Protectionist policies suppressed international trade- fall in demand
Reintroduction of ‘Gold Standard’ furthered this, owners slashed wages + lengthened working hours
Case Study 2: The General Strike, 1926- Union Leader
MFGB led by Arthur Cook- Marxist
Used slogan ‘Not a minute on the day, nor a penny off the pay’
Support among miners- falling wages, longer hours, rising cost of living
Case Study 2: The General Strike, 1926- Samuel Commission
Enquiry into miners’ conditions + offered temporary subsidy to mine owners to maintain pay
Seen as a victory- ‘Red Friday’- many hoped it would recommend nationalisation
March 1926- the Samuel Commission (gov enquiry) recommended ending the subsidy in May 1926 + 13.5% pay cut
Case Study 2: The General Strike, 1926- End of Subsidies
1 May 1926- subsidies ended and mine owners locked out over 1 million miners who refused to accept pay cut
Trade Union Congress (TUC) announced a General Strike would begin on 3rd May
Case Study 2: The General Strike, 1926- Government Preparation (Media)
Had been preparing since 1925- Churchill began publication of The British Gazette + used BBC to criticise trade unions
Constant stream of pro-government media, strike seen as wild, radical, and unpatriotic
Public against trade union + Labour didn’t support strike
Case Study 2: The General Strike, 1926- Government Preparation (Volunteers)
Anti-union volunteers established- Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies
Did work that striking workers refused to- worked docks, drove buses + trucks, manned telephone exchanges etc
So General Strike didn’t disrupt essential services- limited impact
Case Study 2: The General Strike, 1926- Lack of Union Preparation
TUC failed to effectively organise- didn’t bring out all members- only printing, heavy industry, energy, textiles, and transport on strike
Lacked impact to force to accede
Poorly organised- not coordinated, after a week couldn’t afford to strike (£4 million)
Case Study 2: The General Strike, 1926- Failure
TUC announced workers would return to work on 12 May 1926
Miners carried on alone, but returned to work in 1927
Owners slashed wages + made job losses- over 30% of mining workforce made unemployed
Case Study 2: The General Strike, 1926- Legislation
Government passed the Trade Disputes Act (1927) which banned sympathetic strikes and mass picketing
Crippled the trade union movement
