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Democracies in Change - Britain > Theme 1 c 3 - Industrial relations, 1939-79 > Flashcards

Theme 1 c 3 - Industrial relations, 1939-79 Flashcards

1
Q

Year - Winston Churchill formed a National Government

A

May 1940

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2
Q

From Trade Unions point of view who was the most important person in Churchills new National Government?

A

Ernest Bevin - Minister of labour and national service

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3
Q

Why was Ernest Bevin very important?

A

Since the Emergency Powers Act 1939 - Bevin had almost complete control over the British workforce.

He was the Minister of Labour and national service

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4
Q

Who was Ernest Bevin?

A

Minister of Labour and national service

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5
Q

Year - Emergency Powers act

A

1939

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6
Q

Why was Ernest Bevin a safe pair of hands for Churchill?

A
  • Had been leader of Transport and General Workers Union.
  • Preached in moderation and co-operation.
  • Hoping workers and bosses could find compromises between themselves.
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7
Q

How did the government ban strikes and lockouts?

A

1940 - Introduces the Defence Regulation 58AA.

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8
Q

Year - Defence Regulation 58AA.

A

1940 - Banned strikes and lockouts

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9
Q

Explain the story of the Betteshanger strike in Kent

A

1942 - miners went on an illegal strike.

The govt took over running the coal industry and initially chose to prosecute 1,050 miners finding most between £1-3.

Miners in other pits downed tools in solidary and the Home Secretary was forced to drop charged and improved wages.

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10
Q

Year - Betteshanger strike

A

1942

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11
Q

How many miners took part in the 1942 Betteshanger strike?

A

1,050 miners

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12
Q

In south wales how many strikers were there in coal fields between 1939-44?

A

514 strikes

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13
Q

In 1944 what was the average wage for miners compares to others in manufacturing?

A

Miners - £5 per day

Manufacturing - £6.10 per day

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14
Q

How many Welsh Miners went on unofficial strike in 1944 for better wages?

A

100,000

They won

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15
Q

What did miners find war did for their opportunities?

A

Presented opportunities for improved pay that peacetime had not offered.

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16
Q

How did Union Leader representation in the government committees change between 1939-49?

A

1939 - 12 leaders

1949 - 60 leaders

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17
Q

In 1945 how many Labour MPs were sponsored directly by unions?

A

120

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18
Q

Year - Industrial Charter

A

1947

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19
Q

What was the industrial charter?

A

Conservatives made - realising the need to adopt Labour pro-union approaches.

  • They wanted larger unions that democratically REPRESENTED THE WILL OF THEIR MEMBERS.
  • Realised ‘human relation’ approaches were a better fix to workplace disputes than strikes.
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20
Q

What new approach did the Industrial Charter bring to the way businesses are run? What would this mean?

A

Paternalist approaches.

Would ensure that the interests of all parts of the industry from the boardroom to the shop floor could be protected.

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21
Q

Year - Trades Disputes Act

A

1927

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22
Q

Explain the growth of trade union membership between 1940 - 80

A

1940 - 6,613

1980 - 12,636.

Doubled

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23
Q

Give two examples of TUC general secretaries

A

Vic Feather and Len Murray

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24
Q

What problems were faced by the making of Feather and Murray as TUC general secretaries?

A

They had begun their union careers during periods of the depression, war and austerity.

Where many younger union members wanted to participate in the consumer boom and needed a pay rise in order to do this.

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25
Q

By 1970 how many working days had been lost to strike action?

A

10 million days

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26
Q

What did Walter Monckton do that caused the relations between TUC and conservative party to deteriorate?

A

Conservative minister of labour attempted a conciliatory policy with the unions.

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27
Q

Between 1945-55 how many strikes were there per year and how many workers did this involve?

How did this number change during the next decade?

A

1,751 strikes per year with over half a million workers.

2,521 involving over 1.1 million workers

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28
Q

What was the most successful film in 1959?

A

Comedy film ‘I’m alright jack’ - Even watched by the Queen and PM Harold Macmillian.

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29
Q

What was the film ‘I’m alright Jack’ about?

A

Satirised British industrial relations by presenting a union shop steward (Peter Sellers) as a pompous, incompetent bully forcing the factory he was employed with to go on petty strikes.

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30
Q

Who became PM in 1964?

A

Harold Wilson

31
Q

What was Harold Wilsons public persona?

A

Beer drinking and pipe smoking, wearing a mac and holidaying on the Scilly Isles

32
Q

What proportion of strikes was unofficial in the 1960s?

A

90%

33
Q

Throughout the 1960s how many days were lost every year to strikes?

A

3 million

34
Q

How many days were lost due to strikes during 1968?

A

4.7 million called ‘the year of the strike’

35
Q

Give one key example of a wildcat strike during the 1960s

A

The Girling Brake strike 1968 -

Stopped the manufacturing of brakes for British Car industry. Leading to 5,000 workers being temporarily laid off and millions of pounds in orders being lost.

36
Q

How many workers were temporarily laid off during the Girling Brake strike in 1968?

A

5,000

37
Q

Year - Girling Brake strike

A

1968

38
Q

What idea did the Labour government steal from the conservatives in 1968?

A

Proposed union reforms - ‘In place of strife’

39
Q

What did the white paper called ‘In place of strife’ propose?

A
  • Govt. could order strike ballot before official industrial action.
  • Workers in unofficial strikes led by militant shop stewards would be ordered back to work by the secretary of state for a 28-day ‘cooling-off’ period.
  • When unions argued the industrial board would hand down a legally binding verdict.
  • Strikes breaking these rules could be declared illegal and union could face stiff fines and even imprisonment.
40
Q

Year - white paper published

A

January 1969

41
Q

Year - Industrial Relations Act

A

1971

42
Q

How much lower were miners wages than manufacturing workers in the 1960s?

A

3 % lower

43
Q

What made strike action more likely in the 1960s?

A

Rising prices caused by inflation as the miners saw their living standards decline.

44
Q

How many mining pits had been closed in the 1960s?

A

National Coal Board closed 400 pits.

45
Q

How many miners had been made redundant during the 1960s?

A

420,000

46
Q

How did the National Union of Mineworkers stop the National Coal Board from closing more pits in the 1960s?

A

made low wage claims. As a result, many miners felt their wages were falling below those of other industrial workers.

47
Q

In 1970 how much of a wage increase did the unions vote for?

A

33%

48
Q

When was there a strike over miners wages in the 1970s?

A

1972

49
Q

Give an example of a high-profile union member during the 1970s

A

Arthur Scargill

50
Q

What did Arthur Scargill develop?

A

A union member - developing new tactics of ‘flying pickets’ using a group of 1,000 miners to quickly blockade power stations and coal depots.

51
Q

In 1972 what was the result of the ‘flying pickets’ technique of fighting?

A

Reduced electricity output to 25%

52
Q

How many miners joined Arthur Scargill’s picketing in the 1970s?

A

40,000 miners in 500 separate sites

53
Q

What event leads to a change in governments attitudes towards miners wages in the 1970s?

A

When Scargill succeeded in shutting down the west Midlands gas boards capitulated, offering a huge 27% pay rise.

54
Q

How much was miners wages increased in the 1970s?

A

27% pay rise offer.

55
Q

What union was Arthur Scargill part of?

A

the left National Union of mineworkers (NUM)

56
Q

What event in the 1970s put a strain on the coal industry?

A

Winter 1973-4 after the oil crisis meant there was a lot of pressure placed on the coal industry. This lead to a state of emergency and a 3-day working week.

57
Q

Year - 3 working days

A

March 1974

58
Q

What was the cause of the 3-day working week?

A

A second union strike in Winter 1973-4 after the oil crisis meant there was a lot of pressure placed on the coal industry. This lead to a state of emergency and a 3-day working week.

59
Q

What was Heath’s slogan for the 1974 election?

A

Who governs Britain?

60
Q

What was the ‘social contract’?

A

A new policy creating a voluntary code to prevent the need for a formal incomes policy with specified limits for pay rises. Rested on the assumption that union bosses could persuade their members to accept pay restraints.

61
Q

What did the TUC agree to in 1975?

A

A pay increase of £6 per week to workers earning less than £8,500

62
Q

When did Wilson resign due to ill health?

A

April 1976

63
Q

Who succeeded Wilson?

A

Callaghan in 1978

64
Q

What did Denis Healey believe in 1977?

A

That inflation was being brought back under control and that the social contract had run its course.

Believed free bargaining could return but warned against ‘greedy’ unions demanding too much.

65
Q

What pay increase was given to low-paid workers in 1977?

A

5% increase

66
Q

Year - winter of discontent

A

1978-79

67
Q

How many Ford workers went on strike in 1978?

A

15,000 on 22 September - By 5 October 57,000 strikers

68
Q

What effect did the Ford Strike have?

A

Lead to a 17% wage increase

for which they incurred government penalties, but it also showed that the social contract was unenforceable.

69
Q

Explain the events of the haulage strike

A

December 1978 - lorry drivers began an overtime ban demanding a 40% pay rise. The didn’t have petrol as oil refineries were picketed.

70
Q

Which workers went on strike during the winter of discontent?

A

Ford workers, Lorry drivers, nurses, gravediggers, 999 service workers and bin men.

71
Q

What did the Public Sector demand during the winter of discontent?

A

£40 a week to £60 a week.

Nurses demanding a 25% increase

72
Q

What did the government offer the public sector strikers?

A

11% pay rise

73
Q

What was the main consequence of the winter of discontent?

A

A dramatic shift in public attitudes against the trade union movement

74
Q

Give a stat that describes how attitudes towards trade unions shifted after the winter of discontent

A

1969- 60% of people said they had a positive view of the unions. In 1979 - 20% did.

Democracies in Change - Britain (26 decks)

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