Industrial Relations 1918-1979

Trade Union Membership Growth 1914–1920

Membership doubled from 4 million to 8.3 million by 1920; this surge was driven by wartime industry demands and gave unions unprecedented leverage in post-war negotiations.

The Triple Alliance (1919)

A strategic merger of the three largest unions: Miners, Railwaymen, and Transport Workers; aimed to coordinate strike action to prevent wage cuts; collapsed on "Black Friday" 1921 when railway and transport unions refused to support the miners.

General Strike 1926 Duration and Scale

Lasted 9 days from May 3 to May 12; involved roughly 1.5 million workers in total; triggered by coal mine owners' demands for a 13% pay cut and an increase in working hours.

Samuel Commission Report (1926)

A government report that recommended a 13.5% pay cut for miners to keep the coal industry profitable; the rejection of this by the Miners' Federation led to the slogan "Not a penny off the pay, not a minute on the day."

Trade Disputes and Trade Unions Act 1927

Conservative legislation that made "sympathetic" strikes and mass picketing illegal; forced union members to "opt-in" to the political levy rather than "opt-out"; resulted in a 33% drop in Labour Party funding.

Wartime Industrial Peace (1939–1945)

Ernest Bevin (union leader) served as Minister of Labour; Order 1305 was introduced to ban strikes and lockouts; union membership rose to 8 million by the war's end.

Post-War Consensus on Unions

Both Labour and Conservative governments (1945–1960s) accepted the "Voluntary System"; this meant the government stayed out of industrial disputes, relying on the TUC to manage its own members.

Rise of the Shop Stewards

Local union representatives who led "wildcat" strikes without official union approval; by 1960, 90% of all strikes were unofficial "wildcat" actions, primarily in the automotive and shipping sectors.

Donovan Commission 1968 Findings

The commission concluded that Britain had two systems of industrial relations: a formal national system and a chaotic, informal shop-floor system; recommended formalizing local agreements but opposed legal penalties for strikers.

In Place of Strife (1969)

A White Paper proposed by Barbara Castle; included a 28-day "cooling-off" period and compulsory strike ballots; withdrawn by Wilson after a revolt by 50 Labour MPs and Home Secretary James Callaghan.

Industrial Relations Act 1971

Edward Heath’s attempt to introduce legal order; created the National Industrial Relations Court (NIRC) and required unions to register with the state; failed completely when the TUC ordered members to ignore the court.

Who Governs Britain? 1974 Election

Called by Heath during a Miners' strike that forced a 3-day working week; the public responded with a hung parliament, leading to a Labour minority government that immediately settled the miners' 35% pay claim.

The Social Contract (1974–1977)

A pact where the TUC agreed to voluntary wage restraint to help Labour control inflation; in exchange, the government abolished the 1971 Act and introduced the Employment Protection Act 1975.

Inflation and the 5% Pay Limit (1978)

Chancellor Denis Healey attempted to impose a strict 5% limit on pay rises to fight 10% inflation; Ford motor workers successfully struck for a 17% increase, signaling the collapse of the Social Contract.

Winter of Discontent Strike Data (1978–79)

Led to 29.4 million working days lost to strikes in 1979; the highest since 1926; public sector workers (NUPE) including rubbish collectors and gravediggers went on strike, turning public opinion against the unions.

Employment Acts 1980 and 1982

The start of the Thatcherite legislative offensive; banned "secondary picketing" (striking in support of others) and made unions legally liable for damages caused by illegal strikes.