WW2: Industrial Relations Flashcards
How did Churchill expand the role of the government in the war economy?
Expanded govt. role to manage war economy, created ministries w/specific role in economic management - these had extensive powers of economic management
How did the National Government transform Britain into a managed economy?
- Rationing and conscription introduced immediately
- Registration for employment made compulsory in 1941; 8.5 million work orders issued
- By 1945, 1/3 of citizens are involved in war work.
How was the British Empire affected financially by WW2?
Turning point in Britain being able to finance its commitments around the world. By 1940, cash reserves of country were gone and we gradually became indebted to other nations- relying on loans and later financial aid.
- Why was the Lend-Lease Agreement secured?
2. What was the Lend-Lease Agreement?
- By Dec 1940, Britain’s cash reserves were spent
- Agreement w/US, allow US to supply Britain w/what it needs, debt would be repaid post-war; supported by US supplies being brought to Britain in ‘Liberty Ships’
How did WW2 affect Industrial Relations?
Definitely placed demands on workers, but the extent to which wage strikes and hours may have become an issue was mitigated by the crucial appointment of Ernest Bevin as Minister of Labour in 1940.
Why was Ernest Bevin becoming the Minister of Labour in 1940 so significant?
- Bevin promoted working relationships between unions and management
- Bevin Boys- young men conscripted to work in the coal mines between 1943-1948
Was Ernest Bevin’s approach to the workers and Trade Unions similar to other Tories?
NO-Softer touch w/unions than other Tories - essential due to long-standing acrimony of TUs towards PM Churchill; Lots of this anger dated back to 1910 when Chu., as Home Secretary, confronted rioters w/army in Tonypandy riots.
Were Industrial Relations during WW2 similar to in the interwar period?
Some continuation in that there were strikes- most significantly by coal miners. Another key industry of unrest was the docks
Random strikes during WW2
- 1943: workers at factory making tail-fins for Halifax bombers went on strike
- 1943: More than 16,000 women and some men walked out of Rolls-Royce factory- should’ve been making engines for fighter planes.
Strikes involving dock-workers before 1944
December 1943: 1,000 dockers go on strike in Middlesbrough
Why was the ‘annus horribilis’ (1944) so significant?
Strikes occurred in the context of the Defense Regulation 58AA passed in 1940 that banned strikes and lockouts. Shows industrial relations weren’t calm despite threat of war.
What was the most important coal miners strike during WW2?
1944: 100,000 Welsh miners went on an official strike for better wages (by 1944, avg. daily rate was £5/day, compared to over £6/day for manufacturing industry).
Why was the Coal Miners Strike of 1944 so significant in terms of government response?
Faced w/strike, govt. quickly relented to demands for better pay- shows power workers had combined w/sympathetic help of Bevin as Minister of Labour.
Overall, what was the effect of WW2 on Industrial Relations?
War led to inclusion of trade unionists in many govt. decision-making bodies and it dictated an approach to industry + industrial relations which’d be carried over into post-war consensus.
How did WW2 affect class structures?
United social classes through shared experience- no one was sheltered from reality of ‘total war’, so there was a greater sense of unity and equality amongst population.
