Thatcher and industrial relations (1979-1990) Flashcards
(16 cards)
What strategy did Thatcher use to reform trade unions?
A piecemeal strategy – introducing reforms gradually instead of in one major law, to avoid concentrated opposition.
What was the purpose of the Employment Act that outlawed secondary picketing?
To prevent striking workers from pressuring non-striking workers outside their workplaces.
(1980)
What did the Employment Act require for industries maintaining a ‘closed shop’?
An 80% vote was required to maintain a closed shop, making them harder to sustain.
(1980)
What was the impact of the Employment Act that restricted sympathy strikes?
It severely limited trade unions’ ability to strike in support of other unions and increased the vote threshold for a closed shop to 85%.
(1982)
What did the Trade Union Act require unions to do before striking?
It mandated trade unions to hold a ballot of members before taking strike action.
(1984)
How did the number of days lost to strike action change between 1979 and 1990?
It dropped from 29.5 million in 1979, to 4.3 million in 1981, and further to 1.9 million in 1990.
Why were the miners considered powerful before the 1984-85 strike?
They had successfully challenged the government in 1972 and were blamed for bringing down the Heath government in 1974.
Why did the government decide to close 20 coal pits?
The National Coal Board was losing £250 million a year, making the mines uneconomical.
(1983-84)
What was the purpose of the ‘Ridley Plan’?
To stockpile coal from 1981 onwards so power stations could continue operating during a miners’ strike.
What was the role of the ‘National Reporting Centre’?
It was set up by the Home Secretary to control the police response to the miners’ strike.
What was a key reason for the failure of the miners’ strike?
The miners were divided, with the Union of Democratic Mineworkers breaking away and continuing to work.
(1984)
Why did the miners not get full public support?
NUM leader Arthur Scargill was portrayed as an extremist, and violent incidents reduced sympathy.
What happened at the ‘Battle of Orgreave’?
6,000 police officers, including mounted cavalry, were deployed against striking miners; 123 were injured.
(June 1984)
How did NUM membership change from 1979 to 1987?
It dropped from 250,000 in 1979 to 100,000 by 1987.
How did the number of working coal mines change after the strike?
There were 174 working coal mines in 1983; by 1994, this had fallen to just 15.
What was the overall significance of the miners’ strike?
Thatcher successfully defeated a major trade union, asserting government authority over the trade union movement.
(1984-85)
