He has attacked ambulancemen and called them names and he has victimised others., All this disruption to the operation of Britains hospitals inevitably brought negative press. Here is a selection of your comments. In March more than 130,000 NHS workers in the National Union of Public Employees (NUPE) voted against an offer of a 9 per cent pay increase, although their colleagues in the Confederation of Health Service Employees (COHSE) voted to accept. Behind the scenes, Rockefeller schemed up a way for the state to take over the sanitation department, or rather his counsel did- he was hospitalized for exhaustion after staying up all weekend to write the legislation. Striking photographs show the effects of the colossal strike action as huge bags of rubbish fill Londons Leicester Square, young men desperately seek employment at local job centres and dozens of police hold back feuding workers. I remember the struggle my parents had to make ends meet, food shortages caused by people panic buying only to throw it away when supplies were restored. The piles of rotten waste became our playground, well it always was our playground so we continued to play on the soccer pitch, rather than kicking a ball but investigating all the crap spilling out of the bags! Dozens of bin collectors from the GMB Union . Captions are provided by our contributors. His socialist blueprint for power harks back to 1970s Labour governments who were plagued by high inflation, low growth and irresponsible trade union power. After a fortnights strike, the grave diggers settled on a 14 per cent rise. Your 1970s: Strikes and blackouts People improvised in the blackouts The Magazine is compiling a people's history of modern Britain - featuring your written memories and photos. The strike lasted 13 weeks in total. It wasn't a great success. APWU president Moe Biller described Manhattan (New York City) post offices as like "dungeons," dirty, stifling, too hot in summer, and too cold in winter. Following the initiative of BP and Esso tanker drivers who had begun to refuse to work overtime in support of a 40% pay increase, all TGWU drivers struck on January 3. Living Rent members alongside cleansing workers and members of the GMB will be outside City Chambers on SaturdayOctober 23 to demand investment in cleansing services and investment in the key workers who keep our streets clean. The miserable power cuts, grey cold miserable days and even greyer colder miserable days and then along came Thatcher and it just got worse. Disputes in the 1970s. 1970 Chrysler Strike. They rejected the proposals and demanded the free collective bargaining they had been promised. My mother never forgave Labour or the trade unions for that.Carl Parry, Antalya, Turkey, Trafalgar Square was a mountain of black garbage bags twitching with rats. A number of important strikes were launched, several of which still evoke images iconic of the struggle during the winter of 1978-79. Inflation had more than halved by 1978, however, the government continued its policy and in July 1978 introduced a new limit of 5% on wage increases. Liam Campbell completed the Kiltwalk alongside his daughter Rosie, who was with five holes in her heart and a narrowing of the aorta when she was just two-months old. The Light Blues lost out at Hampden in the Scottish Cup semi-final to Ange Postecoglou's men - who are now on course to complete a domestic Treble after Jota's winner in the first-half. Better than Crackerjack! The direct action help stem the tide of effective pay cuts by inflation eating up the value of their wages and won significant improvements for many tens of thousands of workers. This development of rank-and-file independence from the trade union leadership and from orderly collective bargaining in the late 1960s/early 1970s in US, in . Riled up and frustrated, workers rejected the deal, demanded a $600 raise, and struck on February 2. Operation Graphic Hand had at its peak more than 18,500 military personnel assigned to 17 New York post offices, from regular Army, National Guard, Army Reserve, Air National Guard and Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps Reserve. Postal workers in general were upset about the low wages and poor conditions. With the government continuing to try and hold back pay in the public sector. Copyright 01/05/2023 Alamy Ltd. All rights reserved. A proposal was put to the TUC general council and agreed after several days, bringing an end to the winter long series of disputes. We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. Slick McIntyre, Sydney, NSW, I remember the 70s well, I was working in construction at the time, roofing and steel erecting, the power cuts and three-day week didn't affect me much but even though all the things Andrew Marr described happened, he made it sound like the country was on its knees, but I don't recall it being as bad as he writes, we still had more industry then, and were a major producing country, and the average price of a pint of beer, when we went decimal in 1971, was two shilling (10 pence)and the music was a lot better than today's rubbish, men were a lot better dressed, you wouldn't get in a night club or a dance hall, without a collar and tie, 70s comedies on the telly were better, and we had Morecambe and Wise too. One could be somewhat prepared. The strike was illegal under the Taylor Law (passed the previous year), and DeLury was sent to jail. Candles could not be found in hardware stores, but were plentiful in Harrods. pic.twitter.com/S05fx93Urm. My own school had to close and only those taking exams that summer were educated. Barbara Ciruk - polska . In an attempt to bring down this figure, the government had agreed a "social contract" with the TUCs in which the payrises for public sector workers were held at limits set by Parliament. 344,028,143 stock photos, 360 panoramic images, vectors and videos, Share Alamy images with your team and customers. The IMF Crisis took place during Jim Callaghans term as Prime Minister. I seem to remember contests of how to get along with tiny amounts of water - winners combined boiling food, washing dishes, bathing, washing clothes and finally, using the remains to water the garden, in about the same order with the same water. In June 1976, the pound had reached a record low against the dollar. Their walkout caused petrol stations to close as the oil could not be transported around the country, A refuse collector who is employed by Westminster City Council empties bins around Leicester Square in 1979, A passer-by signs a petition to keep open the casualties department at Bethnal Green hospital, which was due to be closed down because of budget cuts in 1978, A concerned patient discusses the impending closure of the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson hospital with a nurse in 1976, Coffins in a disused Liverpool warehouse waiting for gravediggers to end their strike before funerals can take place, December 1978, Protesting postal workers march through the streets of London in support of industrial action at Grunwick photo-processing laboratory in Willesden, Dozens of police officers hold back feuding protesters at the Grunwickdispute, Hundreds of officers were deployed to restrain demonstrators during the 1977 industrial disputes, Unofficial strikers are photographed with placards outside Wandsworth bus depot in 1976. This effectively made the government powerless to enforce the 5% limit of pay increase, leaving the door open for more strikes in private industry and later in the public sector. Selective and partial strike action reduced half of Britains hospitals to an Emergency Only service by the end of January 1979. [4], The strike ended after eight days with not a single worker being fired, as the Nixon administration continued to negotiate with postal union leaders. Still an 'unofficial' strike by early October, the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU), fearing the level of rank and file control over the day to day running of the strike, decided to support it on October 5. Search for stock images, vectors and videos, Available for editorial use only. Another memorable strike occurring towards the end of the winter was that of the waste collection workers. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. BUY TWO IMAGES, GET THE LOWEST PRICE IMAGE HALF PRICE WITH CODE: 50%OFFNEXTIMAGE. [10] This announcement was accompanied by Proclamation 3972, which declared a national emergency. I remember my parents trying to bake their own bread because the bakers were on strike like everybody else. Many have said this was complete nonsense as the dustcart drivers were paid so poorly that it was very unlikely to affect inflation. Submitted by Alex. I just hope I can get her a grant because I wont be able to help.. Adventures encountered by a group of refuse collectors. This began with a large demonstration in London on 22 January 1979 and continued with partial strikes at various hospitals. I can't really recall what we did with them, but did tell me mum later what we had found and she rang the council office to complain, not that it did any good. And Leeds were in the 1st division where they are now.Rodney Thornton, Leeds UK, In January and February of 1974, because of a strike by Britain's miners, the government imposed a three-day working week and rationed electricity supplies. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, 1st Floor, Chartist Tower, Upper Dock Street, Newport, Wales, NP20 1DW Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. Author Jeremy Brecher Submitted by Steven. Most cheaters only have affairs if oral sex is guaranteed and people from this country are its biggest fans, Passionate fling with charming boss has unleashed my wild side and now I want him for keeps, Daily horoscope for Thursday August 31 heres what the stars have in store for you today, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). India has seen a wave of strikes this month. The strike lasted 13 weeks in total. Industrial action was alarmingly common throughout the. By February 10, Rockefeller had had enough, using the premise of a health emergency to seize state control of the Sanitation Department. A man wearing a gas mask, among huge piles of rubbish, during a strike by dustcart . The power went out and we never did see the end of the filmLouise Warren, Leicestershire UK, The main effect of the drivers' strike was lack of fuel delivery. Mum made it sound exciting like the Blitz but it wasn't. In 1974, employment was in excess of one million- it had been less than 600,000 at the start of the decade, Chancellor of the Exchequer Denis Healey covers his face in 1977. Edinburgh is usually quite a clean city, but the bin men have chosen, quite wisely, to strike during the worst period, with the massive Fringe festival on, to force the councils hand. Newspaper commentators and politicians often invoke the spectre of the 1970s via images of uncollected rubbish piling up in Leciester Square or references to a gravediggers strike that affected Liverpool and Tameside for two weeks in 1979. The winter of discontent caused a lot of disruption through all the strike action but to a teenager who cared for little else but music, fashion and boys, most of the politics just passed me by! The strike began in New York City and spread to some other cities in the following two weeks. Previously the relatively weak collective strength of public sector unions and lorry drivers had seen those groups of workers living standards hurt badly by rising inflation. Picketing began just after midnight, on March 18. Download content on demand when you need it. That and starting primary school in 72 and my mother dying in 74 by heart disease; something which could easily fixed today like myself by having a bypass. Many NHS staff were shocked at the vitriol they received even where trade union members were careful to mitigate any adverse effects from their actions. 296,669,475 stock photos, 360 panoramic images, vectors and videos, Share Alamy images with your team and customers. Guess what? What books did you use to write this? The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused. I cant afford a Sunday joint. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter, Paper Monitor, Your Letters, Quote of the Day, Caption Competition and more, Tourists flock to 'Jesus's tomb' in Kashmir. Should you wish to remove a comment you have made, please contact us, This site would like to use cookies to track your usage of the site, Insulin and Diabetes: Alan Nabarros Story. The strikes, from the perspective of the TUC and the government, ended on February 14 after weeks of negotiation. [1], The stock market fell due to the strike's effect on trading volume. In some places managers managed to provoke all-out strikes by disciplining staff for taking part. 21 episodes 1969-1970 Tim Wylton Eric 21 episodes 1969-1970 John Barrett Smellie Ibbotson 18 episodes 1969-1970 Brian Wilde Bloody Delilah 14 episodes 1970 John Woodvine Bloody Delilah 6 episodes 1969 Paula Wilcox Naomi 2 episodes 1969-1970 Mary Hignett Mrs. Ibbotson 2 episodes 1969 Stephanie Turner Bridesmaid 2 episodes 1969-1970 In 1974, employment was in excess of one million people, whereas it had been less than 600,000 at the start of the decade. Less well known is that Memphis sanitation workers, inspired by their counterparts in New York, began their strike two days after the New York strike ended, on February 12, 1968. Wishing to avoid a "free-for-all" rush for pay increases by the unions, the government allowed the return of collective bargaining to happen only with the agreement of the unions to continue with wage increase limits agreed in 1976 and a promise not to reopen any increase agreements made from previous policy, which the TUC agreed to. Police in Lanarkshire are appealing for help in finding 14-year-old schoolgirl Helena McFadden who has been missing from her home since 1pm on Saturday afternoon. [7], Authorities were unsure of how to proceed. The rubbish attracted rats and, rather indistinguishably, the conservative media, who used pictures of the Square in an attempt to discredit the strikers. The first strikes The 'Winter of Discontent' began on 24 August 1978, when Ford car workers put in a claim for a 20 per week rise and a 35-hour week, which amounted to a rise of 25 per cent in annual pay. Then there was the heatwave in '76 when we had severe thunder storms, and water shortages. Newspaper commentators and politicians often invoke the spectre of the 1970s via images of uncollected rubbish piling up in Leciester Square or references to a gravediggers' strike that affected Liverpool and Tameside for two weeks in 1979. In that effort, the experiences of those involved, many of them involved in collective mobilisations for the first time, has been rather forgotten. Please report any comments that break our rules. A short history of the militant nationwide wildcat strike of truck drivers in the Teamsters union against a union-management agreed pay rise of $1.10 an hour, which won a much bigger rise. I was lucky enough to find a whole bag of used syringes! After bringing supplies transported by road to a virtual standstill, and after just less than a month of strike action, the drivers accepted a pay deal just 1 less per week than the union had asked for. A short history of the massive strike movement against welfare reform in France in 1995. I had my second son in Feb 1979 when hospital workers strike was on .We had paper sheets on the beds, no hot food, the babies had paper baby gowns and then it snowed really hard, cutting off Chelmsford where I was in hospital from my home in Maldon. This was a mass action where rank and file leaders emerged like Manhattan letter carrier Vincent Sombrotto, who would go on to be elected first branch and then national president of the NALC. Discover the citys most unique and surprising places and events for the curious mind. Dick Groat - amerykaski baseballista, koszykarz [1] Jerry Springer - amerykaski dziennikarz i polityk [2] Wiktor Wysoczaski - polski teolog i duchowny starokatolicki, zwierzchnik Kocioa polskokatolickiego w RP (1995-2023), biskup warszawski (1996-2023) [3] 26 kwietnia. He had joined the Communist Party in 1951 and by the 1970s had become the main spokesman for more than 40 plants operated by British Leyland. In Williams and Fryers history of NUPE they detail how the union continued to organise selective strike actions, starting in South Tees, Cardiff, Yorkshire and Glasgow, timed to affect different regions at different times. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with. [1], NALC president James Rademacher, NALC rank and file strike leader Vincent Sombrotto, US president Richard Nixon, Postmaster General Winton M. Blount. The strike began in New York City and spread to some other cities in the following two weeks. This series of events came to be known as the Winter of Discontent. The road was closed for around five hours. Piles of rubbish building up in London Road, due to a dustcart drivers strike in Glasgow. The Glasgow corporation refused to do this, citing budget cuts and the social contract (a government policy that was aimed at restraining wages to decrease inflation) as the reason why they couldnt accept the SJIBs pay rate. In 1970 there had been a decision made by the National Joint Council for Local Authorities that local government should automatically pay the rate set by the Scottish Joint Industry Board (SJIB). 12th March 1975. That kept me entertained for hours. Are you sure you want to delete this comment? It caused the Bank of England to withdraw temporarily from the foreign exchange market. The following year he announced guidelines that pay rises for public sector workers should be capped at five per cent, Soldiers stand to attention at London's Chelsea Barracks as they prepare to take over the role of public sector workers, including firemen, during the strikes in 1977, A passer-by holds her nose as she walks past the growing pile of uncollected rubbish in Leicester Square, after it was designated a Council Refuse Centre during the strike in 1979, Lorry drivers are photographed on the picket line during strike action in 1979. And then three months later being charged for the repainting of my room in Halls because of the smoke "damage" in my room. 17,029 pages were read in the last minute. Further limits on pay increases were proposed by the government through 1976 and in July of 1977 it was announced that free collective bargaining between employers and unions would be slowly phased back in. Next to take action were the lorry drivers. Every day a new challenge. Barlinnie prison rammy as packages thrown over jail wall into exercise yard. There are calls for an extension to be built at the school with "fantastic teachers" in the Robroyston area. A 37-year-old man has been taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital after hit by a car driver on Balshagray Avenue in the early hours of Monday morning. This continued until the end of March but the government became increasingly intransigent as it neared collapse in Spring 1979. Workers in other government agencies also announced they would strike if Nixon pursued legal action against the postal employees. A weak policy was worked out, but the vote became deadlocked at the TUC general council and was rejected. Scotland Football Team returning from the 74 world cup at Abbotsinch Airport now Glasgow International.Margo Mc Donald for the SNP. Join Untapped New Yorks First Trivia Night with The Gotham Center! This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. The industrial protests of that winter became a crisis precisely because most of the groups involved hadnt previously been strike-prone. There are almost 1500 people in the area with the condition, and the council has backed calls for more education to be provided to residents. The TUC were infuriated by the limit as inflation had decreased. During the ambulance drivers strike in mid-January it was also reported that staff in 1,100 NHS hospitals were refusing to treat anything but emergencies. He famously told the media after returning from a business trip: I dont think that other people in the world would share the view that there is mounting chaos., This lead The Sun to run the famous front page: "Crisis? Yet, the actual events of 1978-79 undermine that story. The U.S. postal strike of 1970 was an eight-day strike by federal postal workers in March 1970. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please She calculated that after loan payments, utilities and food, she had just 5 a month left for clothes for her and the kids, as well as any other expenses. Due to the lack of control many unions had over their members by this time, many strikes did not end immediately after the agreement, testimony to the initiative exercised by many rank and file workers throughout the period who were willing and able to work and initiate strikes outside of their union's control. READ MORE:COP26: Glasgow cleansing workers vote for strike action during summit. National newspapers reported extensively on any real or potential effects of the strikes, casting the protests as the work of callous union militants and accusing strikers of targeting amongst others sick children. The days of being able to cut our way to prosperity are over, not that they ever started. One amusing event was during the coal strike and three day week, my father looked in he paper and decided that, as we were on a 'high risk' for power cuts at home we would go to the city to the cinema to see the new James Bond. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. Then the lights used to flicker and go out at nights with power cuts and we would have to keep candles around the house in case the lights went out. It filled the area that is now occupied with a water fountain, Fireman stand in a line outside of Westminster Fire Station while on strike in 1977. Alamy and its logo are trademarks of Alamy Ltd. and are registered in certain countries. Police have appealed for help after the 68-year-old man was seriously injured on Victoria Road at its junction with Allison Street on Friday evening and taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. [3], Striking postal workers highlight the disparity in wages between themselves and the politicians, Last edited on 14 December 2021, at 21:35, "Wildcat Postal Strike Worsens; 3 States Hit", "Stocks Sag on Low Volume Due to Postal Strike", "Text of Nixon Speech on Post Office Crisis", "Video of President Nixon announcing federal intervention in the postal strike & strikers speaking", "Chapter 7: Nixon and Ford Administrations, 19691977", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=U.S._postal_strike_of_1970&oldid=1060332060, This page was last edited on 14 December 2021, at 21:35. Schools and airports closed for lack of workers, and ambulance drivers struck, although in many areas continued to respond to 999 calls. My abiding memory of the rolling power cuts was having to write university essays by candle light. This period of collective mobilisation has generally been remembered negatively in the stories Britain tells about itself, as a crisis precipitated by over-powerful unions. The government was hesitant to arrest strike leaders for fear of arousing sympathy among other workers, and because of popular support for the strikers. Pictures of the 1970s cleansing crisis sent in by Living Rent. Bin men strike 1970s UK HOMER SYKES Stock Photo - Alamy Winter of Discontent London 1979. After Glasgow's forthcoming cleansing worker strike was brought to the UK's attention during last night's Question Time, two residents and campaigners discuss the situation and its connection to problems of the 1970s. If this leads to industrial action we must remember the events of the past that took place in Glasgow in the 1970s during the bin man strike. Real wages for NHS and local council employees dropped 19 per cent in this period, pushing many further into poverty. Personal prints, cards and gifts, or reference for artists. After talks over pay between the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and PM Edward Heath's Conservative government broke down, the NUM called for industrial action at the start of 1972. As a 13-year-old at the turn of the decade I clearly remember the 70s miners' strike, the winter of discontent, the three-day working week and gritters on strike. On February 5, The New York Timeslamented that the city looked likea vast slum as mounds of refuse growhigher and strong winds whirl the filth through the streets. By that point there were about 30,000 tons of trash on the streets, a number that would grow to100,000 tons. Candles and power cuts are my memories of the 70s. Finally, do not forget that the firemen's strike did lead to the army being used for fire duties, using the already gold Green Goddesses. When these workers were offered another below inflation pay rise, it was the final straw for many. How wouldNew York look if no one picked up the trash for nine days? Effective July 1, 1971, the U.S. Post Office Department became the U.S. The 1911 Way to Clean the Streets of a Big Town. Piles of rubbish building up in Glasgow, due to a dustcart drivers strike in Glasgow. They also show the diversity of participants and reveal how in the NHS (and elsewhere) the Winter of Discontent was one moment in British history where women, and women of colour in particular, took a leading role in workers struggle, fighting to establish better pay and conditions in the often exploitative National Health Service. Their duties were carried out temporarily by members of the army, An unemployed person makes his protest by wheeling a coffin through the streets on London 1975, Harold Wilson is seen heading to the polls in 1974. [11], Nixon then ordered 24,000 military personnel forces to begin distributing the mail. Another big year for strikes, more than two million Americas hit the picket line in 1970. 15 Public Art Installations to See in NYC, May 2023, Strikingly Realistic Miniature Art Depicts Scenes of Gritty NYC. Trash accumulates quickly.