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TRADE UNIONS 1915-27 - Coggle Diagram
TRADE UNIONS 1915-27
KEY BEGINNINGS
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Over 1/3 of working male population were recruited into the army By 1915, Mining produce had reduced by 21% Cost of living all went up - March 1916 Coal miners demanded 20% raise in wages
National Transport Workers Federation 1916 - Ernest Bevin
National Union of Railwaymen 1913 - James Henry Thomas
TRIPLE ALLIANCE
NTWF and NUR joined with MFGB 1914
Believed this would help coordinate Trade Union activity
Thomas was Labour MP for Derby so worked on new Parliamentary Committee of TUC 1917-21
Then worked in TUC after parliamentary committee ceased to exist 1921
WARTIME BONUS
Ministry of Munitions ensured that wartime production rates were sustained
Reviewed wages in shipbuilding ans ordered a 12% raise to skilled workers
This led to strikes in semi and unskilled workers, so Wartime bonus extended to all industry
Munitions of War Act 1915
Constraints on skilled workers to stop them going into semi-skilled, better paid work
Cannot get new employment without certificate from previous employer 'character notes'
Dilution - use of unskilled or semi skilled for skilled work
Undermined privileged position
Clyde 14000 women employed which caused strike in 1917
SHORTAGE OF LABOUR
Shortage of labour meant that when miners needed for tunnelling in battle of the Somme, gov agreed to take new workers
Most new workers weren't in Unions - concerning
Caused strikes in Wales and made TU membership a condition of employment for coal miners during war
CLYDESIDE
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MANNY SHINWELL
Early member of ILP
Joined Glasgow Trades Council
Prominent in dock strikes 1911
British Seafarers Union
Key Figure in 40-hour Movement
JAMES MAXTON Socialist and opposed the war Organised strikes as part of campaign against Munitions Act 1915
CLYDE WORKERS COMMITTEE
Formed 1915 with Maxton and Shinwell as key figures
Maxton imprisoned in 1916
1918 - Maxton elected as part of National Council of the Labor Party
Organised strikes against Munitions leaving certificates which were abolished 1917
GLASGOW RENT STRIKE
Reasons:
- Housing in Glasgow was amongst worse in Britain - overcrowded tenement blocks
1915 - strikes by Clydeside engineers for pay rise makes Industrial militancy
Glasgow Women's Housing Association nicknames Mrs Barbour's army took power by refusing to pay rent
Working men joined
Threats from Maxton in Clydeside Workers Committee to organise General Strike GOV RESPONSE
- Rents and Mortgages Act limited rent and mortgages to pre-war rates
- When landlords attempted to prosecute 18 protesters, Lloyd George telephones his solicitor, urging prosecutions o be delayed for protecting production rates
Combined with end to leaving certificated, rent strike showed influence of labouring classes
40 HOUR STRIKE
January 1919 - local general strike organised by Joint Strike Committee in protest for 40 hour week
Dramatic increase in workers looking for jobs after the war - surplus not shortage
Devised that the solution was a 40 day working week
Had already secured from 53 to 47 hours
Red flag waved in Clydeside and government was convinced of a communist revolution so did tanks and troops George Square (Battle of George Square) riot when police tried to disperse
60,000
Coining the term 'Red Clydeside'
BLACK FRIDAY 1921
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EVENTS
President of MFGB refused to agree and coal owners locked out 1 million miners
NUR and NTWF agreed to strike - 15th April 1921
Lloyd George offered to re-open negotiations but they refused because private employers refused to pay minimum wage
NUR and NTWF felt was being stubborn and withdrew support
EFFECTS
Miners families hit hard and had to rely on strike pay from Union
Soup kitchens set up to aid families
Membership fell by 2 million
Miners starved back to work in July 1921
GOVERNMENT ACTION
EMERGENCY POWERS ACT
During war, Defence or the Realm Act passed which was replaced by Emergency Powers in 1920
Allowed gov to declare state of emergency for industrial unrest and make provisions for maintaining supplies
Troops deployed to likely places in Black Friday (not need)
SUPPLY AND TRANSPORT COMMITTEE
Policy Making power Stock-pile goods around the country
Replace strikers with constables
Force open mines and factories
Ruled that they prevented a General Strike in 1921
VOLUNTEER SERVICES COMMITTEE
Established by STC Organise volunteers
Oversaw cooperation between gov and businesses to get resources
1919 - Gov worked with petroleum company to. maintain fuel reserves and agreed to cut import duties on soil to build oil holders
RED FRIDAY 1925
CAUSES
Coal industry revived 1923 because of events in the Ruhr (coal producing part of germany)
Failed to pay reparations so Coal miners went on Strike and German coal exports meant less business for coal Businesses
Coal prices dropped and owners proposed wage cuts nd increase in working day hours to take effect 31 July 1925
EVENTS
TUC backed miners and sopped movement of coal from 31 july
PM Stanley Baldwin did not want General Strike so gave subsidy of £24 million to coal owners for 9 months
Set up Samuel Commission to provide long term planSamuel Commission recommended reorganisation and modernisation, end to subsidy and reject longer days
- Baldwin accepted
- Owners did not agree to reorganise - set wage cuts and longer day
- MFGB welcomed modernisation
- TUC agreed to support them and negotiate on their behalf with gov
EFFECTS
TU Newspaper the 'Daily Herald' put a poster saying Red Friday (victory for unions)
Miners shushed fo 9 months
TUC made no preparations as they thought the gov would back down
Gov prepped volunteers
GENERAL STRIKE 1926
GOV PREP
By March they had 100,000 volunteers Weekend classes to train colunteers
DURING STRIKE
GWR enrolled 450 volunteers and there was 3000 trains 1/10th of normal
GOV PROPAGANDA
Printers on Strike
'British Gazette' (set up by Winston Churchill) printed on Blackleg Printers 5th May
Churchill ensured it was distributed across the ocuntry
Portrayed strike as revolutionary and threatening
Daily Mail supported by 'Pistol on the nations Head'
PM Stanley Baldwin released Broadcasts (BBC 2 million daily listeners) and played them on streets
OVERVIEW:
Began 3rd may 1926 lasted 9 days
Great enthusiasm and support for the strike, but TUC called it off on 12th May
Miners starved back to work
IMPACT
TUC movement fell from 5.5 million to 3 million In 5 years
1927 Labour Gov passed Trades Disputes Act (banned sympathetic strikes in support of another union, cannot strike to coerce gov into action)
POST WW1
TRIPLE ALLIANCE Government agreed to ensure railway wages were not decreased but refused a permanent settlement
Thomas threatened a strike in 1919
Government deployed troops at Paddington railway
BUT the strike was not supported by railway workers (they had wartime bonus)
SANKEY COMMISSION
1919 By Lloyd George Found that coal should remain nationalised
Despite this, government privatised it
Within 1 day, employers released pay cuts of up to 50%
Coal miners went on strike