Battle of Orgreave 1984įorming a part of the 1984-1985 UK miner’s strikes, which at their peak saw 142,000 miners go on strike over pit closures and pay, the Battle of Orgreave is regarded as one of the most violent clashes in British industrial history. After the strike ended, workers returned to work with a guaranteed 47-hour working week.Ī period characterised by widespread strikes and one of the coldest winters in years, the Winter of Discontent took place from November 1978 to February 1979 and saw private and public sector trade unions demand pay rises greater than the Labour government of the time had been imposing to control inflation, which rose to 13.39% in 1979.Īs a result of the industrial disputes, 29,474,000 working days were lost in the year and widespread public disruption was caused, leading to a landslide victory by Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative Government in May 1979, who promised and delivered on legislation to restrict the powers of trade unions.
Many sustained injuries and one police constable lost his life several months after being injured during the conflict, which also saw tanks and British troops moved to key points in Glasgow.
Around 20,000 to 25,000 strikers are estimated to have descended upon George Square where they were met by police and eventually a full-scale riot broke out. The Battle of George Square began as a strike by shipbuilding and engineering workers to shorten the working week from 47 hours to 40. Involving nearly one million miners, it was a repeat of the unsuccessful strike of 1894, but unlike the previous attempt, it proved successful, and after 37 days of striking, the government passed the Coal Mines (Minimum Wage) Act 1912.
#Black friday general strike manual
The national coal strike of 1912 was the first national strike by miners and began with the aim of securing a minimum wage, which at that point hadn’t been extended to the mining industry and various other industries with unskilled manual jobs. However, the transport and rail unions decided against industrial action on a day dubbed Black Friday, due to the widespread feeling amongst labour radicals that the miners had been betrayed.Ĩ5,872,000 working days were last in 1921 and eventually, in 1925, the government granted a temporary subsidy to avoid wage reductions in a day that became known as Red Friday. With miners facing wage reductions and longer working hours after the First World War and the economic depression that followed, it was widely expected that transport and rail unions would also go on strike in support of the miners.
The following year, sympathy strikes, general strikes and mass picketing were banned with the passing of the Trade Disputes and Trade Unions Act 1927. Lasting from the 4th to the 12th of May 1926, the 1926 general strike in the United Kingdom saw more than 1.5 million workers, particularly those working in transport and heavy industries, go on strike in support of coal miners, whose bosses were looking to reduce wages and conditions.Īlthough 162,233,000 working days were lost that year, the government was well-prepared for the 1926 general strike and enlisted middle-class volunteers to maintain essential services. With this year being one of the most significant for industrial action in recent times, we’ve looked at what the largest strikes in history are for this week’s Business Leader Top 12. As the rising cost-of-living has taken its toll on the UK in 2022, we’ve seen BT employees, railway workers and Royal Mail staff all go on strike.
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