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Lecture 5: The Unions

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This lecture will look at Thatcherism’s targeting of trade union power and explore explanations of its success and impact. Had the unions got so out of control in the 1970s that they had to be brought into line in the 1980s? In other words had the unions, and particularly forms of Left control of the unions, brought about their own demise. This week’s lecture will look at both the Miners’ strike and the industrial action at Wapping to explore changing attitudes to employment and union law and also the ways in which workers attempted to defend their interests.


TUC building

Some questions you need to consider before the lecture

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  • How strong was union power in the 1980s?
  • Why were the miners such an important target for Thatcher?
  • What were the miner’s symbolic significance and what did it mean when their year long strike was defeated?


Reading

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Reading

Set Readings

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Seldon and Collings Britain Under Thatcher p67-68.

* Wrigley, Chris, Chapter 6, The British Trade Unions 1945-1997 Documents in Contemporary History, (MUP, 1997) pp161-180 Main / HR 24325 UK (Bri)

Observing the Eighties 

choose one of the voices you have already read if possible

Mass Observation

1982 Spring

1984 Summer

The British Library

George Cairns The General Strike (39.06 - 45.18)

David Robertson Scargill and Thatcher (01:00-02:20) and the miner's strike (03:18-05:40)

University of Sussex Special Collections

Policing Wapping: An Account of the Dispute 1986-7

Further Reading

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University of Sussex Special Collections

The Scum
Brighton Voice, February 1987, Issue 123

The British Library

George Cairns talks about the impact of strikes on community (48:42 -54.44)
Frederick Brady talks about unemployment (51:50 -57.26) and the impact of the Conservative Party's industrial policies on Trade Unions (57.27- 01:01:00)
Paul Graham touches on the relationship between the workers in the Steel industry and the Miners Strike. (01:07:00-01:12:16)


Daryl Leeworthy's article 'The Secret Life of Us:1984, The Miners' Strike and the place of biography in writing history 'from below'', European Review of History, 19:5, 825-846, (2012) will help you put the role of memory and testimony in the strike into its historical context.

A number of musicians produced music that directly raised funds to support the miners or that supported the strike in its lyrical content. Some of this is much better than others



The Redskins on the Tube - note dig at Billy Bragg and Kinnock and speech from striking miner which has power to microphone cut off. (follow youtube link for original speech) The Tube signalled a new style of 'yoof' and music broadcasting.


Council Collective's - Sould Deep (1984) was a collective benefit single for striking miners.

Lecture Resources

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Lecture Resources

Lecture 5 The Unions Powerpoint

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file: Lecture_resources/Thatcher_2019_s_Britain.ppt

Lecture 6 - the unions, handout

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file: Lecture_resources/Lecture_6/wk_6_handout.doc

Labour disputes

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file: Lecture_resources/Lecture_6/Labour_disputes.xls

Number of Trade Unions

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file: Number_of_Trade_Unions.xls