Effect of WW2 on industrial relations (T2) Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Effect of WW2 on industrial relations (T2) Deck (22)
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1
Q

How did the war become an issue for workers?

A

It placed demands on workers, the extent of the strikes however were a problem for the government

2
Q

How did the government during WW2 deal with the worker strikes?

A

They made Ernest Bevin the Minister of Labour in 1940

3
Q

Who was made Minister of Labour in 1940 for the Conservative government?

A

Ernest Bevin

4
Q

Who were the strikes mainly carried out by during WW2?

A

The coal miners - this was a continuation from the interwar period

5
Q

What happened in the 1943 London factory strike?

A

In 1943, workers at a factory in London making tail-fins for Halifax bombers went on strike

6
Q

What was the Rolls-Royce strike in Glasgow during WW2?

A

More than 16,000 women + some men walked out of the Rolls-Royce factory in Glasgow

They should have been making engines for fighter planes

7
Q

Give some examples of unrest in the docks during the war?

A

Dec 1943 - 1,000 dockers went on strike in Middlesbrough

1944 - an annus horribilis in terms of strike action, lightning walkouts and in many ports at fall stretch preparing for the invasion of Europe

8
Q

What happened at the strikes at docks in the West of England?

A

i.e. in Plymouth, in Jan, over the suspension of 11 men who refused to move to another port and work for less pay

9
Q

What was the 1940 Defence Regulation 58AA?

A

It banned strikes and lockouts, thus showing that Industrial Relations were not calm despite the threat of war

10
Q

How did the Defence Regulation 58AA affect the strikes in Plymouth?

A

The suspension of the 11 men which caused the strike was in the context of this law

11
Q

What was the coal mine strike in 1944 like?

A

100,000 Welsh miners went on an official strike for better wages

12
Q

Why did the coal miners strike in 1944?

A

They wanted better wages - by 1944 the avg daily rate was £5 per day, in the manufacturing industry it was over £6 a day

13
Q

How did the government deal with the 1944 coal miner strike?

A

The gov. quickly relented their demands for better pay - this shows the power the workers had

14
Q

When did Ernest Bevin become Minister of Labour?

A

1940

15
Q

What did Bevin promote as Minister of Labour?

A

Working relationships between unions and management

16
Q

Who were the Bevin Boys?

A

Young British men conscripted to work in the coal mines between 1943 and 1948

17
Q

Why was it good for the Tories appointing Bevin as the Minister of Labour?

A

He had a softer touch with the unions than some of his Conservative colleagues - there was therefore less unrest

18
Q

Why was it necessary that Bevin was appointed Minister of Labour for the Conservative party?

A

Given the long-standing acrimony that TUs had with the PM at the time (Winston Churchill)

19
Q

Why was there tension between Winston Churchill and the TUs?

A

Lots of anger from the TUs dated back to 1910 when, as the then Home Secretary, Churchill had used the army to take on rioters during the Tonypandy riots

20
Q

How did WW2 affect TUs?

A

It lead to the inclusion of trade unionists in many government making bodies

It dictated an approach to industry + industrial relations which would be carried over into the years of consensus that followed WW2

21
Q

In 1944 what did the government declare in relation to TUs?

A

Their long term responsibility for the maintenance of high levels of employment

22
Q

How did commitment to full employment affect the economy?

A

In the long term it had a huge effect on the health of the British economy due to other problems it faced too

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