Trade Union Movement in Britain
Trade Union Movement in Britain
XII.
World War II and its Aftermath
World War II saw a major growth in the strength and status of the trade unions. As in World War I, Labour joined the government within less than a year. Churchill, when forming his government in May 1940, appointed Ernest Bevin, the most powerful trade union figure of the time, as Minister of Labour. Labour nominees became a norm on national and local committees and by 1941 according to the TUC it was “engaged in almost daily consultation” with government.
While strikes and lock-outs were prohibited under Order 1305, Bevin defended the continuance of normal collective bargaining. However, unlike in World War I, this was combined with a policy of price subsidies for items in the cost of living index and rationing, thereby avoiding soaring inflation. These policies avoided the scale of industrial unrest of World War I and the degree of alienation in some sectors that had existed between union leaderships and rank and file activists. Nevertheless, there were unofficial strikes in coal mines and elsewhere, which reached a peak in 1943. Perhaps the most notable dispute was in 1941 at the Betteshanger colliery in Kent over payments for working difficult coal faces, when summonses were issued against all 1,050 underground workers. As with the South Wales miners in 1915, the government in the end avoided imprisoning these defiant miners.
During World War II control of manpower and of the main war production was greatly facilitated by the Essential Work Orders made from March 1941. By these Orders experienced labour could be held in priority work and—as in the controlled establishments of World War I—best practices were adopted in order to maximize output. These included guaranteed minimum wages, a major innovation in such sectors as building, the docks, and the merchant navy, where employers usually relied heavily on casual labour.
Trade union membership went up, in spite of the large numbers of men in the armed forces (4.7 million in June 1945) and women in the Women’s Auxiliary Services (467,500 at its peak in December 1943). In 1943 trade union membership totalled 8.6 million—a density of 43 per cent—with female membership at 1,886,000—a density of 29.9 per cent—making 23.5 per cent of the total.
After the end of the war conditions remained good for trade union growth. The Labour Party formed a majority government under Clement Attlee, with Bevin as Foreign Secretary. The TUC worked closely with the government, assisting it in reconstructing the economy, backing both the drive for greater productivity and the 1948 policy of wage restraint. The trade unions were especially pleased with the government’s nationalization programme, the National Health Service, and other social reforms, and the repeal of the Trades Disputes and Trade Union Act, 1927.
Labour governments took a firm line against strikes and the level of strikes was relatively low. However, between 1947 and 1950 there were four major unofficial strikes in the London docks. Of 14.3 million days lost in industrial disputes between 1945 and 1951, 2.9 million were in the docks and 4 million in the much larger coal-mining industry. By 1950 British trade union membership totalled 9.3 million—a density of 44.7 million—of which 1.8 million were female—a density of 24.7 per cent—being 18.9 per cent of the total.
Contributed By:Christopher John Wrigley, B.A., Ph.D., Litt. D
"Trade Union Movement in Britain," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007http://uk.encarta.msn.com © 1997-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
© 1993-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Trade Union Movement in Britain
XII.
World War II and its Aftermath
World War II saw a major growth in the strength and status of the trade unions. As in World War I, Labour joined the government within less than a year. Churchill, when forming his government in May 1940, appointed Ernest Bevin, the most powerful trade union figure of the time, as Minister of Labour. Labour nominees became a norm on national and local committees and by 1941 according to the TUC it was “engaged in almost daily consultation” with government.
While strikes and lock-outs were prohibited under Order 1305, Bevin defended the continuance of normal collective bargaining. However, unlike in World War I, this was combined with a policy of price subsidies for items in the cost of living index and rationing, thereby avoiding soaring inflation. These policies avoided the scale of industrial unrest of World War I and the degree of alienation in some sectors that had existed between union leaderships and rank and file activists. Nevertheless, there were unofficial strikes in coal mines and elsewhere, which reached a peak in 1943. Perhaps the most notable dispute was in 1941 at the Betteshanger colliery in Kent over payments for working difficult coal faces, when summonses were issued against all 1,050 underground workers. As with the South Wales miners in 1915, the government in the end avoided imprisoning these defiant miners.
During World War II control of manpower and of the main war production was greatly facilitated by the Essential Work Orders made from March 1941. By these Orders experienced labour could be held in priority work and—as in the controlled establishments of World War I—best practices were adopted in order to maximize output. These included guaranteed minimum wages, a major innovation in such sectors as building, the docks, and the merchant navy, where employers usually relied heavily on casual labour.
Trade union membership went up, in spite of the large numbers of men in the armed forces (4.7 million in June 1945) and women in the Women’s Auxiliary Services (467,500 at its peak in December 1943). In 1943 trade union membership totalled 8.6 million—a density of 43 per cent—with female membership at 1,886,000—a density of 29.9 per cent—making 23.5 per cent of the total.
After the end of the war conditions remained good for trade union growth. The Labour Party formed a majority government under Clement Attlee, with Bevin as Foreign Secretary. The TUC worked closely with the government, assisting it in reconstructing the economy, backing both the drive for greater productivity and the 1948 policy of wage restraint. The trade unions were especially pleased with the government’s nationalization programme, the National Health Service, and other social reforms, and the repeal of the Trades Disputes and Trade Union Act, 1927.
Labour governments took a firm line against strikes and the level of strikes was relatively low. However, between 1947 and 1950 there were four major unofficial strikes in the London docks. Of 14.3 million days lost in industrial disputes between 1945 and 1951, 2.9 million were in the docks and 4 million in the much larger coal-mining industry. By 1950 British trade union membership totalled 9.3 million—a density of 44.7 million—of which 1.8 million were female—a density of 24.7 per cent—being 18.9 per cent of the total.
Contributed By:Christopher John Wrigley, B.A., Ph.D., Litt. D
"Trade Union Movement in Britain," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007http://uk.encarta.msn.com © 1997-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
© 1993-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
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