THE TORY Employment Acts are the direct descendants of the 1971 Industrial Relations Act. That Act attacked trade union power on many allowed individual scabs to shop. It allowed unions to be sued for causing a 'breach of contract'.
postponement of periods') while secret ballots were organised. It called for agreements between unions and employers to be legally binding.
"there Was al that unions which registered the could gain a certain protection under the law (e.g. employers could sue them only up to £100,000). special court, the National Industrial Relations Court (NIRC), was set up. special judge presided over it former Call arcate Jonn Donalusol.
On 11 November 1970, 100,000 workers came out on unofficial strike against the Bill (as it then was)
On 8 mainly in Scotland.
December 1970 the number prepared to strike for day had risen to 500,000. The stoppage was anofficial (except case of SOGAT, whose executive WElL into hiding for a day to avoid being served with an injunction ordering them to call off Early in January 1971 there SCIE similar one day strikes in Birmingham Coventry.
The TUC called a rally on 12 January 1971, which was well supported, and a TUC-led march Sun day 21 February saw over 250,000 unionists demonstrating in London.
The AUEW called an official strike on 1 March, fronts.
challenge the closed It gave the government the power to order the action (cooling and 1.o million workers downed tools.
March 2 million walked Out.
The majority of unions refused to register under the new law, the summer of 1972 the NUR had agreed to hold a secret ballot ordered to, and the TGWU had paid a fine of £80,000 imposed by the court. It looked as if the Tories were getting away with it.
The dockers were the first to challenge reverse — this trend. They were engaged in a long and bitter fight to prevent their employers from diverting work away from the well-organised docks into container depots COld stores employing poorly organised and badly paid workers. Their main tactic was to boycott firms whose lorries went across picket lines into such depots. It was this sort of boycott action that led the NIRC to impose the first solail fine on TGWU.
The struggle soon focussed on the Midland Cold Store, London depot owned by the giant Vestey company. London dockers established an effective picket and resisted every attempt by the NIRC to remove them. The court ordered stewards leading the picket to appear before it! The stewards simply ignored the summons. On Friday five leading stewards were arrested by the police for being in 'contempt of court' sent to Pentonville jail.
Within every port country was Knocker walked off the job. By Sunday 23 Julv fleet Street was Shut out, and in the next two days more more workers joined the dispute. The TUC called a day general strike for the following week, but by the Wednesday it was clear The WHO Law Lords let the five Shop stewarus go The government its legislation had been dealt a mighty blow, but the court continued EHIVEDI m late 1973. AUEW members at Confor recognition. They refused to obey an order from the NIRC to stop the picketing and were fined for contempt of court. The NIRC ordered the se. questration money from the AUEW's funds. The AULW caned a national one day stoppage in protest.
The Commission of Industrial Relations, a new body set up under the Industrial Relations Act, was dispute, it recommended recognition. The employers refusBut the HUNDER strike gradually dwindled Police clash with miners in 1972 and in April 1974 it was called off However, the next month the employers' case came to court for its full hearing (you can only get a temporary injunction ISSUES proceedings, which usualtake severa monus ut come to court). An award of £45,000 compensation was made to the employer. Again the AUEW refused to pay The court threatened to sequester all the union's Ine Aurw called an unlimited stoppage of all its members. Within 24 hours an anonymous businessman had paid the The Industrial Relations Act was discredited, made unworkable by by unionists. The government had not been able to shackle the unions. keprintea Report 'Assault the JUST ONE with alter the Labour Party conference bached the miners overwhelmingly. Veil Kinnock sandtioned the coal convoys passing through NUM picket lines at Llanwern steel works.
production market remains for the coalfields This statement prosoked a sharp reaction from the president of the South Wales NUM Emlyn Williams who is now putme oressure tor a total disgusting that kinnock should take a stand totall! out of line his own
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unions', 95p. Kinnock supports