As part of GCSE History students will look at British society at different times including the period from 1951 to 1979. One aspect that they will study is employment and labour relations at the time.
The world of employment and industrial relations was a volatile one between 1951 and 1979. Britain was heavily unionised during the period, and trade unions accordingly wielded considerable power. By the 1960s, however, relations between unions and governments deteriorated - even between the unions and their traditional allies, the Labour party. When a new Tory administration emerged in 1979, this tension was likely to come to a head.
Find out more about employment and labour relations in Britain between 1951 and 1979 by playing this quiz.
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You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Rebuilding the country after 1945
This practice could lead to wide swings of opinion, as some unions could cast a million votes or more - one way or another. A key example of this is the 2 votes taken on the question of unilateral nuclear disarmament: one in favour in 1960, and one against in 1961
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This prosperity was not to last. When governments began to urge wage restraint, unions were likely to be wary
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Castle failed to secure the support of the TUC leadership for her plan, but the ensuing Tory government issued very similar proposals in 1971
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As a Labour leader Wilson was generally sympathetic to the unions, but occasionally one union or another would annoy him
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This measure seemed to many to bear an uncanny resemblance to the proposals that the Wilson cabinet contemplated bringing In three or four years before
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A miners' strike was a serious matter, for coal was still much relied upon for fuel and power
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The fuel shortage was made worse by the Arab oil embargo, announced in late 1973 following the 1973 Arab-Israeli War
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An immediate solution to the current miners' strike was swiftly found
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A Labour government was faced with a major challenge from its ostensible friends and allies
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Mass picketing was a recognised problem in the 1970's, but no legislative solution to the practice evolved until much later
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