Britain Depth (5) Trades union militancy, 1915-27

Question 1

What was the role of Ernest Bevin and Henry Thomas?

Answer 1

Thomas and Bevin formed the triple alliance at the beginning of the war. Henry Thomas was responsible for the National Union of railwaymen (NUR) became it’s general secretary in 1916. Supported Lloyd-George’s coalition government by cracking down on unofficial strikes and ensuring reasonable industrial harmony. Worked from within parliament. Worked on TUC general council 1921-24 and 1925-9.
Ernest Bevin 1916 elected to the executive committee of the NTWF . Labour loyalist defeated as candidate for central Bristol in 1918 but pivotal in forming NTWF policy during the war.

Question 2

What were the effects of the war?

Answer 2

out of the 15 million men of the working population, 5 million in armed forces, 500,000 navy, 300,000 air force, industrial production declined rapidly, mining fell by 21.8 %. Higher demand for industrial workers meant that they were in the position to be able to negotiate. Annual inflation rate of around 25% meant wages seemed to lag behind prices. 1915 200,000 Welsh miners went on unofficial strike in South Wales.
Over 3000 strikes 1911-14 which were halted by the war.
Membership of unions grew 4m to 8m.

Question 3

Industrial strife

Answer 3

Strikes all over the country, 5.6 million days lost in 1917 such as engineers’ strikes in Coventry 1917.

Question 4

Benefits of war for unions

Answer 4

• Wanted to roll back the regulations of the wartime economy
• Miners working week fell from 55 to 45 hours.
• wages generally rose
• Dockers given regular contracts of employment.

Question 5

What was the Triple Alliance 1914?

Answer 5

MFGB, NTWF, NUR united, wld allow for an effective co-ordination of strike action, placed the triple alliance ina an improved position but applied new pressures, munitions of war act 1915 was over fears of insufficient shells and ammunition production, gave private companies the power to regulate wages etc, 12.5% bonus to skilled workers but it led to strikes s it was given to all workers

Question 6

What did the Munitions of war act 1915 do?

Answer 6

placed constraints on skilled workers in essential industries. Private companies producing munitions brought under the authority of the Ministry of Munitions. Strikes and lockouts banned. Gov dictated wages, hours and working conditions. E.g. Ministry of munitions granted a 12.5% pay rise in October 1917. Arbitrated industrial conflict. Workers needed a leaving certificate in order to switch posts.

Question 7

Dilution

Answer 7

Unskilled workers doing skilled jobs. On the Clyde 14,000 female workers employed, causing strikes. Gov decided in 1916 when it needed miners to tunnel under German trenches at the Somme, to only recruit ppl who had become miners after 1914 and were unmarried.

Question 8

Syndicalism

Answer 8

a movement for transferring the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution to workers’ unions.

Question 9

What was the role of Manny Shinwell?

Answer 9

glasgow was the heart of british heavy industry, if revolution was to happen it wld happen there, member of ILP, earned fame for his militancy against the police, 1919 was key in securing the support of seafarers for the strike, served 5 months in prison, became labour MP, parliamentary secretary to the mines department in Macdonald’s 1924 labour government.

Question 10

What was the role of James Maxton?

Answer 10

Chairman of Scottish LP 1913-19.
Condemned conflict and was a good public speaker. Worked on barges during war, organised strikes of shipping docks in the Clyde. Joined Clyde workers committee protested against munitions of war act 1915 and critical of the war. 1918 elected to national council of the LP. Involved in Fairfield strike 1915 led to the munitions of war amendment act 1916.

Question 11

What were the events at the Glasgow rent stike 1915?

Answer 11

strikes for a pay rise, shortage of housing so increase in rents, GWHA led rent strikes spreading across the city, working men joined the protest, shipbuilders demanded better pay and conditions, had been suffragettes before the war, known as Mrs Barbours army, Nov passed Rents and Mortgage Interests restrictions act levels before the war.
WW1 raged and shipyard and munitions workers flooded into the city = overcrowding and rapacious landlords.
April - November 1915.
War fomented discontent.
By November 20,000 tenants were in arrears.
Mid-November one factor decided to prosecute 18 tenants in the small claims court to try and secure a wages arrestment order. In response, 10,000 men and women marched into the city centre bringing the roads to a standstill.
Lloyd George agreed to a new law fixing rents at pre-war prices.

Question 12

What was the significance of the Glasgow rent strike 1915?

Answer 12

had won considerable improvement to living conditions, showed the extent of influence the labouring classes had attained under war time conditions, dramatic and successful, centre of socialism, Red Clydeside became emblematic of the trade unions growing influence.
Established a precedent for rent controls which continued to be applied to some rental agreements until 1989 (Long term).
Managed to combine industrial and domestic weights.
Barbour was able to command respect from men and women from diverse backgrounds.

Question 13

What was the 40 hour strike in 1919?

Answer 13

once the war was over there was a dramatic increase in the number of men looking for jobs, Jan 1919 was a strike, solution to problem was to reduce the number of hours employees worked, measures were unpopular with employees and gov, Clyde and Belfast had secured working hours from 53 to 47, authorities over reacted and believed that a revolution was unfolding, gov sent tanks and troops to the city to disperse protests, known as the battle of George square, red flag raised, unrest spread to London and on the tube there were protests, Britain was on verge of revolution.
However the strike failed to spread beyond industrial Scotland as it became evident that the government were willing to use violence.

Question 14

‘Black friday’

Answer 14

April 15th 1921. Leaders of the transport and railway unions ordered workers not to strike in sympathy
with the coal miners. Bevin reluctantly agreed to this recognising the NTWF was brittle bc the trade
depression threatened the jobs of its members. Widely seen as a betrayal of the miners. End of 1921
hunger forced miners to return to work. Eventually lead to the collapse of the alliance due to the NUR
and NTWF failing to support miners and the failure of the strike. 1921 around 85m days of work lost
but by 1923 this sank to 10 mill. Unrest 1919-21 displayed extent of change during the war and
increased influence of trade unions.

Question 15

What was Red Clydeside?

Answer 15

At the forefront of the labour movements increasing influence. gov hoped trade unionists wld control industrial unrest, became centre of labour support, Clydeside had been at the forefront of the labour movements increasing influence. Spring 1919 Churchill remarked that trade unions were an effective device for preventing the discontent of post-war u/e and reduced wages from spiralling out of control and into all-out revolution.

Question 16

What does historian John Foster describe post-war britain?

Answer 16

crisis for capitalism, private competition undermined by state ownership and inflated workers wages, Britains industries benefited, high costs of production meant that the economic boom was short lived, business owners increased hours and reduced wages

Question 17

What was nationalisation?

Answer 17

gov had to work alongside working pop, dec 1916 seized SW coalfield, defence of the realm act, sep 1917 wages went up by one shilling and 6 pence a day, relationship between employer and employee had changed, until 1921 gov owned coal mines and railways, nationalism cld continue and not be separate from capitalist profit

Question 18

What did Lloyd George realise?

Answer 18

wages wld have to be reduced to make british coal competitive in foreign markets but wanted to avoid strikes on the gov, labour lawyer and judge Sankey investigated the coal industry, returned coal industry to private owners, Sankey recommended that they remained nationalised, pay for coal miners reduced by 30%, cost of living increased, went on strike

Question 19

What was the impact of Black Friday in 1921?

Answer 19

15 April, leaders of transport and railway unions ordered workers not not to strike in sympathy with the miners, hunger forced the miners to go back to work, the failure of the strike and the rufusal of NUR and NTWF in support meant that the alliance collapsed, decline in industrial unrest, among workers there was a determination to keep hold of the hard won wage increase, revolutionary influence that unified strikes presented, coal miners doomed to fail without support of the other unions

Question 20

What was the state apparatus for strikes?

Answer 20

defence of the realm act replaced with Emergency powers act (EPA), not required in 1921, 1919 gov built up effective anti strike apparatus and gained experience with strikes, appointed industrial unrest committee, changed it to supply and transport committee (STC) , OCT-NOV met 46 times, leader Geddes resigned but was reappointed as gov cldn’t find replacement

Question 21

What was the STC?

Answer 21

established Volunteer service committee (VSC) providing a structure, oversaw cooperation between gov and business to stockpile resources, before BF STC reacted quickly to prevent the coal miners strike from causing disruption, called a state of emergency, gov was well prepared, August 1921, STC was abandoned as a cost saving measure, 1923 STC was revived, all gov activity was to try and attempt to revert relations to that of pre1914 industrial relations.

Question 22

What was the impact of the formation of the Amalgamated engineering union (AEU) and Transport and general workers’ union (TGWU)?

Answer 22

only Bevin and and the newly formed TGWU conceived of this council as a permanent alliance, from 1922 TGWU replaced NTWF as the main transport union, Bevin served as the secretary, ASE became AEU were able to pay 1 shilling a week to their union, created a valuable fund for providing workers with money when a strike was called

Question 23

What was the importance of the council of action?

Answer 23

was to coordinate opposition to any attempt to the british gov to aid Poland’s war effort, Oct 1920 6,000 protesters gathered in L opposing the war, Home office feared this left wing wld present a revolutionary threat to the state, by 1921 they were losing support with the diminished chance of war with Russia, COA remained in place after 1921 performing a propagandist role in the labour movement, Unionist reorganised after BF

Question 24

What were the reasons for the general strike?

Answer 24

long term- change in industrial relations, fall in production and price of coal, trade union discontent after embarrassment of BF, coal mine wages were targeted for cuts 12 million a week, had competition from USA and France, 1921-25 demand for coal declined and unemployment rose to 1 million, Cunliffe Committee to suggested to strengthen the pound to pre-war, had to maintain balanced budget and reduce national debt, british exports became more expensive

Question 25

What was red Friday?

Answer 25

June 1925 coal mine owners attempted to abolish the 1924 minimum wage, this was due to France pulling out of Ruhr,miners rejected it, court of inquiry, both sides rejected it, Baldwin backed down to prevent a strike, £23 million to help support miners, agreed on 31 July known as red Friday, Samuel Commission given duty to investigate coal industry, was short term solution, gov had backed down, hope that capitalism wld be replaced with socialism

Question 26

How was there a breakdown in negotiations in 1926?

Answer 26

June 1925 coal mine owners attempted to abolish the 1924 minimum wage, this was due to France pulling out of Ruhr,miners rejected it, court of inquiry, both sides rejected it, Baldwin backed down to prevent a strike, subsidy of £23 million to help support miners, agreed on 31 July known as red Friday, Samuel Commission given duty to investigate coal industry, was short term solution, gov had backed down, hope that capitalism wld be replaced with socialism

Question 27

What was the gov’s response to the general strike?

Answer 27

Tories pushed Baldwin to harsh action, 2 priorities of gov was to maintain food supplies and preserve law and order, gov recruited 300-500 thousand volunteers, gov had massive labour reserve to call upon, London Underground operated by Cambridge students, class war, kept food and coal supplies flowing to major cities like Liverpool 1/5 of nations imports, however gov failed with railways, Glasgow miners clashed with police, 1,800 arrests during strike, derailing of Flying Scotsman at Newcastle 10 May. TUC spend £4 million whilst the government spent £433 million highlighting the lack of resources, specifically financially, that the TUC had access to.

Question 28

What was the effect of the media?

Answer 28

As Churchill the chancellor and editor of the british Gazette this newspaper was published throughout the strike, BBC formed in 1922 claimed to be impartial but was funded by the gov, TUC propaganda was restricted newspaper British worker restricted to 4 pages rather than 8, limited use of armed forces showed that Baldwin was never serious about the threat of revolution or civil war, when it was used it was to protect food supplies or demonstrate strength

Question 29

What was the extent of the strike?

Answer 29

failure due to chaotic and sporadic support that the TUC secured, 3-12 May good response, 1.75 million trade workers came to support, on the final day of the strike they were joined by shipbuilders and engineers, much credit must be given to Bevin who directed unrest, 10 power stations agreed to cut power in L, 98% of of locomotive train operators and firemen went on strike, however many power stations remained in operation, “blacklegs” continued working, power station in barnsley continued to work. On merseyside out of 92 1000-tonne ships on port on may 4th, 25 had left by the 15th with 50 new arrivals.

Question 30

What was the TUC’s capitalisation?

Answer 30

12 May TUC called off the strike, they ended it before it got out of hand, memory of BF created pessimism that victory was impossible, Herbert Samuel offered to settle the dispute, proposed coal industry to be reorganised and miners wages to be cut for a year but was rejected, TUC general council never believed wages cld be protected. Distance between the council and the strikers.

Question 31

What was the Trades Disputes Act 1927?

Answer 31

hours went up, less wages, many struggled to get old jobs back, decline in membership by 1 million by 1932, gov took action to avoid future general strikes by passing the act, made it illegal for general strikes to be called

Question 32

What was the conclusion of the strikes?

Answer 32

after the war labour obliterated the liberal party, 1929 Ramsey Macdonald was back in power, general strike was not a move to overthrow any particular class or governing element of society, were born out of difficulties of of returning to traditional relationship between owners and workers.

Question 33

Industrial strife

Answer 33

Annual inflation of around 25% post-war.
Strikes all over the country 5.6m hours lost in 1917