
Strikes in Post-War Britain
A Study of Stoppages of Work Due to Industrial Disputes, 1946-73
Routledge (Publisher)
1st Edition
Published on 1. August 2025
Book
Hardback
468 pages
978-1-041-06391-9 (ISBN)
Description
First published in 1983, Strikes in Post-War Britain provides the first systematic long-run examination of official strike statistics since the war. It is based on a wealth of new material and analysis.
The overall strike pattern is first compared with the relevant data on economic activity rates-e.g. movements in prices, output, and employment. Theories linking strikes with variations in all these factors are examined in some detail. Studies of strike prone industries and occupations are analysed and tested against the background of institutional and other changes. Sections follow on the role of government, law, and the impact of incomes policy. The role of management and the influence of union militancy are also examined.
A final chapter suggests the way in which these and other factors have combined to produce Britain's varied and varying propensity to strike. An attempt is made to assess the cost and consequences of strikes for management, workers, and the British economy. The result is a standard work which challenges a whole series of assumptions about strikes. Economic factors are found to be less helpful explanations than political change, or legal developments. Bargaining reform and trade union government are shown to have had a significant impact on the form and timing of certain significant changes in the volume of strike activity. Nobody who wishes to discuss seriously the causes and consequences of Britain's so-called 'strike problem' can afford to remain ignorant of the main conclusions of this book.
The overall strike pattern is first compared with the relevant data on economic activity rates-e.g. movements in prices, output, and employment. Theories linking strikes with variations in all these factors are examined in some detail. Studies of strike prone industries and occupations are analysed and tested against the background of institutional and other changes. Sections follow on the role of government, law, and the impact of incomes policy. The role of management and the influence of union militancy are also examined.
A final chapter suggests the way in which these and other factors have combined to produce Britain's varied and varying propensity to strike. An attempt is made to assess the cost and consequences of strikes for management, workers, and the British economy. The result is a standard work which challenges a whole series of assumptions about strikes. Economic factors are found to be less helpful explanations than political change, or legal developments. Bargaining reform and trade union government are shown to have had a significant impact on the form and timing of certain significant changes in the volume of strike activity. Nobody who wishes to discuss seriously the causes and consequences of Britain's so-called 'strike problem' can afford to remain ignorant of the main conclusions of this book.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Postgraduate
Dimensions
Height: 246 mm
Width: 174 mm
Weight
1030 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-041-06391-9 (9781041063919)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

J.W. Durcan | W.E.J. McCarthy | G.P. Redman
Strikes in Post-War Britain
A Study of Stoppages of Work Due to Industrial Disputes, 1946-73
E-Book
08/2025
Routledge
€73.99
Available for download

J.W. Durcan | W.E.J. McCarthy | G.P. Redman
Strikes in Post-War Britain
A Study of Stoppages of Work Due to Industrial Disputes, 1946-73
E-Book
08/2025
Routledge
€73.99
Available for download
Persons
J.W. Durcan, at the time of the first publication, was Senior Lecturer in Industrial Relations at Oxford Polytechnic.
W.E.J. McCarthy was a British Labour politician. He was one of Britain's most experienced mediators and arbitrators and served as an adviser to several Governments and public bodies.
G.P. Redman, at the time of the first publication, was Lecturer in Industrial Relations at Southwest London College.
W.E.J. McCarthy was a British Labour politician. He was one of Britain's most experienced mediators and arbitrators and served as an adviser to several Governments and public bodies.
G.P. Redman, at the time of the first publication, was Lecturer in Industrial Relations at Southwest London College.
Content
1. Objectives and sources 2. The post-war peace, 1946-52 3. The return of the strike, 1953-9 4. The shop-floor movement, 1960-8 5. The formal challenge, 1969-73 6. An overview, 1946 -73 7. Strikes and the economic environment 8. Coal mining - the traditional battleground 9. Docks - another traditional background 10. Motor vehicles - an odd case 11. Strikes and the state - the challenging role of government 12. Conclusions and explanations Appendix 1 Details of the classification of variables in the major strike series Appendix 2 Political stoppages, 1969-73