In 1927, the Conservative and Trade Union Act in order to restrict the powers of the trade union movement. was the assertion of the authority of the Conservative government after the massive class confrontation of the General Strike of 1926.
The 1927 Act was the latest in a long series of battles that had been toucht the movement since the repeal the anti-trade Combination Act in 1824. During this period, the unions had increased enormously in strength but had faced continued attempts to shackle that strength in the courts and in Parliament.
The Trades Disputes Act declared general strikes illegal, and workers taking part in such an itI5-0 strike could sentenced to up to two years in prison. Manage ment could sue unions for damages in the law courts. Civil service unions were forbidden to affiliate to the Trade LEOn Congress, and restrictions were plac ed on picketing. Changes in the conditions for payment of the political levy threatened the financing of the Labour Party. whole series of rights that had been won by the trade labour move ment since the turn of the century were swept away.
Illegal Although it was still possible strike solidarity with workers in the same industry, it was declared illegal to coerce the government either directly or by inflicting munity This the com munity" measure completed process which had started during the days of the Genera Strike, when the High Court Judge Mr Justice Astbury had ruled that the so-called general strike called by the Trade Union Congress Council is illegal, persons inciting or taking part in it are not protected by Trades Disputes Act 1908 Such increased the pressure on the trade union bureaucracy, and reinforced their excuses for not fighting.
Picketing was severely restricted by giving wider legal definition was widened, and the police could act against pickets it strikebreakers were exposed to 'hatred. naicule, or contempt' government of stanley Baldwin passed the Trades Disputes The Act At the turn of the century, the Taff Vale Railway Company had sued railway union for damages resulting from a strike. The crippling damages awarded by the High Court had two effects on the trade union movement.
First it supported the parliamentary pressure group which suosequenuy became the Labour Party, and second it seeked a change in the legal status of trade unions The Trades Disputes Act 1906 granted trade unions immunity from being sued in the law courts as a result 1919 police strike. lawed such strikes.
strike action. The employers disliked the 1906 act because they felt that it placed the unions 1927 HOOVE TORN Trades Disputes Act was clock back to the good old days when trade could be intimidated by the threat of legal action.
The income of the Labour Party ATfiliated trade unions was reduced by a result of the 1927 Act. Instead of the political levy being automatically col vicious anti-union laws were brought in and stayed on the lected by the unions and paid to the Labour Party, the trade unionist nad-to sign special forms for conhowtons to be made to Labour Party funds.
he civil service unions had to be kept away from the 'pernicious of the Trade Union Congress in order to maintain the loyalty of the state apparatus. There were still bitter memories the ice strikes of 1918 and 919. Even in the present by the police, armed forces o postal workers is a criminal offence.
The 1927 Act permanently outFear and anger were the emotions felt by the ruling class at the massive withdrawal of labour during the honor Strike Over 162 million working days during 926, and the local Coun cils of Action provided an alternative power for the ganisatic of society defeat general strike the Nationa Confederatior of Employers Organisation: insisted on strong anti union legislation.
However, the Conservative Cabinet was wary math of the 1926 General Strike.
statute books until 1945. George Barrett explains what happened.
because it still feared the possibility of a strong reaction STRE working class. So the 1927 Act was compromise between the much harsher demands of the employers and what the Conservative COCHIE thought could get away with.
Thẻ trade union bureaucracy chose this time to increase its collaboration with the bosses and the government. Discussions between senior officials of the and major figures in British in dustry Despite the onset of ipe opened slump, the basic premise of these talks was that was preferable confronta tion and that the two sides should work together to increase productivity.
This betrayal by the trade union leadership was made all the easier by the new orientation adopted by the Communist Party. The CP had launched the Minority Movement. prior to the general strike it could obtain the allegiance of hundreds of thousands of the most militant trade unionists. But, the CP had been taken over by the Stalinist victory inside the Communist International.
increasingly "stalin ised Comintern now dic tated that the Communist parties take a hostile attitude to social democrats of all kinds. They denounced even elected rank and file officials. They turned their backs on the established union struc tures, split the minority movement and established their own 'red" trade unions which rapidly lost all influence with rank and Tie unim Labour 1929 government was elected But it refused to repeal the 27 Act. It was not until 1945 that a new mood for inside the class brought a landslide Labour victory and politically impossible to keep these union restrictions on the statute books. The repeal of the legislation was accompanied the tionalisation of the mines. The attitude of the private mine owners had been a major cause of the legisla tion in the first place. Demonstration against 1927 Act.