Relations With The Trade Unions

Question 1

Why had ware led to relationships deteriorating?

Answer 1

• membership of TU doubled during the war
• 1919-1921 unemployment was low- demobilised soldiers etc
• this meant there was a series of strikes over pay, conditions and nationalisation
• 1919-35 million working days were lost
• 1921- 85 million days were lost

Question 2

Name of the strike in the coal mining industry

Answer 2

Red Clydeside 1919

Question 3

Describe red clydeside

Answer 3

• strike for a 40 hour working week began in Glasgow
• 70,000 workers stopped work
• on ‘bloody Friday’ a riot began where police baton charged a crowd
• at a time when left wing coups were being attempted in Germany and elsewhere
• gov took considerable action
• sent 12,000 troops armed with machine guns, 100 lories and 6 tanks into Glasgow

Question 4

What was the impact of red clydeside

Answer 4

Showed how there was increasing political consciousness, trade unions were becoming more militant and politically engaged, increasingly confrontational in their demands

Question 5

Describe the problems within the coal industry

Answer 5

• miners wanted a pay increase, 6 hour day and nationalisation
• triple alliance- between miners, transport workers and railwaymen
• gov said if there was a strike, they would use troops, but if there wasn’t they would establish a miners commission to investigate the miners complaints

Question 6

What did this lead to?

Answer 6

The sankey commission

Question 7

Describe the sankey commission

Answer 7

• recommended improved wages and shorter working hours
• recommended the nationalisation of the coal industry
• the government refused to take action
• privatised in 1921
• miners felt let down, DLG supposed to be a man of the people
• led to increased tensions between workers and the government

Question 8

What began in April 1921

Answer 8

The miners strike

Question 9

Describe what happened in the miners strike and why it failed

Answer 9

• April 1st
• began as DLG could not implement nationalisation as he was in a coalition dominated by conservative power
• price of coal halved and industry was operating at a loss
• owners of mines tried to institute pay cuts, but the miners would not have this
• strike failed as J.H.Thomas (railway men’s leader) cancelled the railway men’s support for the miners and the transport workers did the same
• miners went on strike alone but conceded defeat in July
• returned to work with lower wages
• triple alliance revealed to be vulnerable and a facade- they only wanted to threaten a strike too get negotiations going, not actually ppt
• led to the 1921 emergency powers act, due to the threat of a general strike

Question 10

4 causes of the general strike 1926

Answer 10

• role of the trade unions
• actions of the government and subsidies for miners
• problems for coal production
• problems in the coal industry

Question 11

Describe the actions of the government

Answer 11

• 1925- return to the gold standard had worsened problems for coal mining industry
• national day rates in 1924, but had suffered a 4% reduction in wages between 1920 and 1925
• to avert a strike, Baldwin offered a temporary subsidy of £10 million and another enquiry- the Samuel commission
• subsidy was only for a year and gave the government time to make extensive preparations

Question 12

Describe the Samuel commission

Answer 12

• 1926
• recommended pit head baths and decent housing (so working and living standards would improve)
• national wage agreement and against the lengthening oof the working day
• mining royalties should be nationalised
• industry should be more efficient with more amalgamations
• BUT, recommended that the only way for the industry to survive was to introduce wage cuts- implied 10% of total wage

Question 13

Causes of the general strike

Answer 13

• geddes axe
• failure of the triple alliance- miners strike in apr 1921
• 1925 return to the gold standard, decline of the coal industry/staple industries
• govts refusal to accept recommendations of commissions- e.g. sankey commission, Samuel commission
• increasing politicisation of TU- e.g. red clydeside
• gov subsidies only for 1 year, Baldwin refused to renew

Question 14

Describe the general strike

Answer 14

• 9 days of strike action from the 3rd- 12th may
• many industries ppt, such as miners, railwaymen, printers, gas and electricity workers, dockers etc
• government well prepared- emergency powers act worked well
• failed due to weaknesses of the TUC and leadership, not united or enthusiastic enough
• TUC could not get a hearing through the radio as the BBC wouldn’t allow it to be broadcast
• leaders not committed- Herbert Samuel tried to negotiate
• uncertain of the aim of the strike
• British workers printers were all on strike- lack of circulation and poor communication
• role of the government- emergency powers act used, which led to the censorship of communication and deployment of troops to protect infrastructure
• government effectively communicated through the official newspaper “the British gazette” organised by Churchill, which had a high circulation and was used as a propaganda tool, key in shaping public opinion against the strike and maintaining morale

Question 15

What was the government reaction after the general strike

Answer 15

Trade disputes act, 1927

Question 16

What did the trade dispute act do

Answer 16

• sympathy strikes were made illegal
• govt displayed a general strike more as a constitutional threat rather than a legitimate labour dispute
• this made coordinated union action across industries much harder
• also meant that civil servants were forbidden to affiliate to the TUC
• trade unionists paying political levy to the Labour Party had to agree in writing to pay it, reducing the income of the Labour Party by one quarter, weakening the party’s financial base in the short term