Wilson & the Trade Unions 1964-1970
- Created by: yazmintaylorx
- Created on: 04-01-18 11:49
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- Wilson & the TUs
- Background
- despite Lab's close ties to the TU movement, industrial relations got worse in the late 1960s
- wildcat or unofficial strikes caused disruption across industries
- W wanted to bring the unions into line & assert govt. authority
- Industrial Unrest
- near full employment & organised TUs gave Britain bad record of strikes
- 7 week long Seaman's strike 1966 hurt the economy
- attempted 'wage freeze' to control inflation unpopular
- W created Prices & Incomes Board with power to regulate pay settlements
- angered many on left of his party & the TUs
- 'In Place of Strife'
- a white paper by Barbara Castle 1969
- proposed compulsory votes before strikes & 28 day conciliation pause (calling off period)
- TUs hated the proposals
- facing divided cabinet, W reversed support for Castle
- why was Lab split?
- many Lab MPs had come through TUs
- many in cabinet supported TUs
- TUs provided most of Lab party funds
- did Wilson show lack of leadership?
- first supported Castle, then reversed it
- showed lack of purpose
- didn't want to split his govt. over one issue
- a missed opportunity?
- Castle's reforms quite moderate
- failure to carry them out strengthened TUs & weakened govt.
- Cons determined to impose these changes on TUs by force
- Thatcher would later seek to destroy TU power forever
- much worse than anything Castle proposed
- Thatcher would later seek to destroy TU power forever
- Castle's reforms quite moderate
- growing power of the TUs in the 1960s
- wildcat strikes
- sudden, unofficial strikes; not organised by TUs but members could be involved
- started due to things like length of tea break or treatment of one worker
- started small but could spread fast & cause serious problems
- the closed shop
- a business or industrial est-ment that required workers to be TU members
- no ballots for strike action
- workers could simply walk out without voting to strike
- lack of cooling off period
- a period of time before a strike to enable discussions about the issue
- no damage liability
- TUs would not be held responsible / financially liable for the damage caused by people on strike
- wildcat strikes
- Background
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