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Identity and conflicts of working people 1945- 2011
http://johncmullen.blogspot.com
An upmarket model from 1963
Union density in Britain
Miners’ gala in the 1960s
Ford Dagenham workers
Robots at Halewood
One of the new university buildings of the 1960s
1960s council housing
1945 Labour – Clement Attlee1951 Conservative – Winston Churchill, and others including Harold Macmillan1964 Labour – Harold Wilson1970 Conservative –Edward Heath1974 Labour –Harold Wilson
The governments of the long boom
UCS demonstration in the 1970s
Jimmy Reid
A poster in support of the Pentonville Five
One of the Pentonville five after their release
1979
1984
Pickets in 1984
Arthur Scargill
Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan
A commemorative statue to the mining industry
After a poll tax demonstration in 1990
Since 1979, anti-union laws make it harder to strike (solidarity strikes illegal, many forms of picketing illegal, postal votes obligatory)
Throughout the 1980s, union membership declined rapidly : due to a combination of government hostility towards the unions and de-industrialisation.
The 1984-5 miners’ strike was a key defeat for the trade union movement.
A slow recovery may be seen after 1995.
1979-1997 Conservative governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major : difficult times for trade unionists
1997
1997-2010 : the Labour governments under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown
Some reforms make union recognition easier. If 40% of employees in a firm vote in favour, the
employer must negotiate with the unionA minimum wage was introduced for the first time
BUTThe Labour government endorsed the concept of
‘labour flexibility’.
New Labour was keen to keep the unions at arm’s length.
Margaret Thatcher’s slogan had been « no more beer and sandwiches at number ten. »
Tony Blair’s slogan concerning the unions was « fairness but no favours ».
David Cameron warned union leaders 'Don't try taking me on'
2010-2011 Coalition government under David Cameron
2011 has seen some of the biggest public sector strikes for many years
On the 30th November 2011, there may be millions of people on strike over pensions.
Strike days in Britain 1975-2009
Statistics from the TUC, September 2011