Black Friday (1921)
Encyclopedia
Black Friday, in British
labour history, refers to 15 April 1921, when the leaders of transport and rail union
s announced a decision not to call for strike action
in support of the miners. The epithet 'black' derives from a widespread feeling that the decision amounted to a breach of solidarity and a betrayal of the miners.
s and to forge links between different organizations, with a view to securing united action. The National Transport Workers' Federation
was created in 1910 to co-ordinate the actions of trade unions representing dockers, seamen, tramwaymen and so forth, and in 1912 the National Union of Railwaymen
was created as an amalgamation of a large number of local and sectional organizations representing rail workers. In 1914, the rail and transport unions came together with the Miners' Federation of Great Britain to form the Triple Alliance
. Although the agreements arrived at did not constitute a binding agreement of any kind, the formation of the alliance was recognised as a vehicle for united action by the largest and most powerful industrial groups.
Government of David Lloyd George
was unwilling to impose wage reductions, as this would provoke strike action against the government, with political implications. Reductions for miners were therefore postponed until the mines were de-controlled on 31 March 1921. Miners who refused to accept the reductions were locked out of employment.
held a ballot which resulted in the proposal for strike action being defeated by 59 votes.
, for example, the Scottish Union of Dock Labourers
broke with the policy of the Transport Workers' Federation and called its members out on strike on 7 May. On the same day, wage reductions were imposed on merchant seamen, leading to a well-supported general strike at the docks which lasted for over a month. Transport and rail leaders were widely criticised for their actions, with J. H. Thomas
of the NUR and Robert Williams
of the NTWF being singled out for particular criticism. For their part, union leaders pointed to the difficulties of resisting wage reductions in a period of unemployment, alleged that there was little support for sympathy action amongst rank-and-file dockers and railwaymen and argued that the involvement of other workers would only lead to needless sacrifices on their part.
In 1925, when the government agreed to grant a temporary subsidy to the mining industry so as to avoid wage reductions, the day on which the decision was announced became known as Red Friday, in imitation of Black Friday.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
labour history, refers to 15 April 1921, when the leaders of transport and rail union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s announced a decision not to call for strike action
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
in support of the miners. The epithet 'black' derives from a widespread feeling that the decision amounted to a breach of solidarity and a betrayal of the miners.
Background - The Triple Alliance
In the 1890s and the first two decades of the twentieth century, increasing efforts were made to bring about amalgamations of small, local trade unionTrade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s and to forge links between different organizations, with a view to securing united action. The National Transport Workers' Federation
National Transport Workers' Federation
The National Transport Workers' Federation was an association of British trade unions. It was formed in 1910 to co-ordinate the activities of various organisations catering for dockers, seamen, tramwaymen and road transport workers...
was created in 1910 to co-ordinate the actions of trade unions representing dockers, seamen, tramwaymen and so forth, and in 1912 the National Union of Railwaymen
National Union of Railwaymen
The National Union of Railwaymen was a trade union of railway workers in the United Kingdom. It an industrial union founded in 1913 by the merger of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants , the United Pointsmen and Signalmen's Society and the General Railway Workers' Union .The NUR...
was created as an amalgamation of a large number of local and sectional organizations representing rail workers. In 1914, the rail and transport unions came together with the Miners' Federation of Great Britain to form the Triple Alliance
Triple Alliance (1914)
The Triple Alliance was an alliance of British Trade Unions comprising the Miners Federation of Great Britain, the National Union of Railwaymen and the National Transport Workers' Federation .-Formation and Pre-War Activity:After a period of intense industrial unrest beginning in July 1910, the...
. Although the agreements arrived at did not constitute a binding agreement of any kind, the formation of the alliance was recognised as a vehicle for united action by the largest and most powerful industrial groups.
The mining crisis, March 1921
In the aftermath of the First World War, the Triple Alliance and united action in general were regarded by many trade unionists as a possible defence against the threat of wage reductions occasioned by the onset of economic depression. A complicating factor was that both the mines and railways had been controlled by the state during the war and were not immediately returned to private hands. The Coalition-LiberalLiberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
Government of David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
was unwilling to impose wage reductions, as this would provoke strike action against the government, with political implications. Reductions for miners were therefore postponed until the mines were de-controlled on 31 March 1921. Miners who refused to accept the reductions were locked out of employment.
The decision announced
Following the imposition of the reductions, it was widely expected that the transport and rail unions would strike in support of the miners. However, on 15 April, the executives of the NTWF and NUR announced that they would not recommend strike action. One reason cited by the union leaders was that the miners' representatives had made comments suggesting that they, themselves, were not prepared to strike against the reductions. More broadly, transport and rail union leaders accused the MFGB of expecting support from other unions but refusing to involve those unions in negotiations over the dispute. The principal seamen's union, the National Sailors' and Firemen's UnionNational Union of Seamen
The National Union of Seamen was the principal trade union of merchant seafarers in the United Kingdom from the late 1880s to 1990. In 1990, the union amalgamated with the National Union of Railwaymen to form the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers .- The National Amalgamated...
held a ballot which resulted in the proposal for strike action being defeated by 59 votes.
The aftermath
Despite the decision against fully-fledged strike action, transport and railworkers were ordered not to handle imported coal. Some workers were unhappy with this limited action. In GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, for example, the Scottish Union of Dock Labourers
Scottish Union of Dock Labourers
The Scottish Union of Dock Labourers was a Glasgow-based trade union for waterfront workers. It was formed during the seamen's and dockers' strikes of June-July 1911. It replaced the National Union of Dock Labourers, which had been formed in Glasgow in 1889 but later became unpopular in that port,...
broke with the policy of the Transport Workers' Federation and called its members out on strike on 7 May. On the same day, wage reductions were imposed on merchant seamen, leading to a well-supported general strike at the docks which lasted for over a month. Transport and rail leaders were widely criticised for their actions, with J. H. Thomas
James Henry Thomas
James Henry "Jimmy" Thomas was a British trade unionist and Labour politician. He was involved in a political scandal involving budget leaks.-Early career and Trade Union activities:...
of the NUR and Robert Williams
Robert Williams (trade union leader)
Robert Williams was a British trade union organiser.He was born in Swansea, Wales, and began his working life as a coal trimmer at the docks. He became active in his union, the National Amalgamated Labourers' Union, at the age of 16 and eventually became its president...
of the NTWF being singled out for particular criticism. For their part, union leaders pointed to the difficulties of resisting wage reductions in a period of unemployment, alleged that there was little support for sympathy action amongst rank-and-file dockers and railwaymen and argued that the involvement of other workers would only lead to needless sacrifices on their part.
In 1925, when the government agreed to grant a temporary subsidy to the mining industry so as to avoid wage reductions, the day on which the decision was announced became known as Red Friday, in imitation of Black Friday.