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Power and the People in Britain, c1170 to the Present Day

Workers’ rights

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 2 section A

Overview

The miners' dispute, Red Friday and the Samuel Commission, the General Strike and the government's volunteers, why it was called off, the miners' defeat, the Act of 1927, the 1970s, and the 1980s union laws.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Numbers

When did the General Strike begin and how long did it last, how did the government keep the country supplied, and why did the Trades Union Congress call it off?

Numbers

What made trade union power a central political issue in the 1970s?

Numbers

What did the trade union laws of the 1980s change, and what was their effect?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Why were the coal miners in dispute in 1926?

    Model answer

    Exports had collapsed and the owners demanded that the men work longer hours for less money, which the miners refused in the slogan about not a penny off the pay and not a minute on the day.

  2. 2

    What was Red Friday, and what did the Samuel Commission then recommend?

    Model answer

    In July 1925 the government paid a subsidy to hold miners' wages up for nine months while it prepared; the commission that reported in March 1926 wanted the industry reorganised in the long run but wages cut at once.

  3. 3

    When did the General Strike begin, who came out, and how long did it last?

    Model answer

    It began on 3 May 1926, when railwaymen, dockers, drivers, printers, builders and workers in iron, steel, gas and electricity came out beside the miners, well over a million and a half in all, and it was called off after nine days.

  4. 4

    How did the government keep the country supplied during the strike?

    Model answer

    Through an organisation set up in advance to recruit volunteers, who drove buses, trains and lorries, while troops and armoured cars escorted food convoys from the docks.

  5. 5

    How was news controlled during the nine days?

    Model answer

    The government printed its own paper under Winston Churchill, the unions answered with one of their own, and the broadcasting service gave the government's case and refused a broadcast to the union side.

  6. 6

    Why did the Trades Union Congress call the strike off?

    Model answer

    Funds were running out, a judge had declared the strike unlawful, and its leaders were alarmed at being seen to challenge the elected government rather than simply support the miners.

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