Schools and airports closed for lack of workers, and ambulance drivers struck, although in many areas continued to respond to 999 calls. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. The loan meant the UK economy could be stabilised whilst drastic budget cuts were implemented. (Photo by Staff/Mirrorpix/Getty Images), Attempted murder in Glasgow as pensioner rushed to hospital and detectives launch investigation. [7], President Nixon appeared on national television and ordered the employees back to work, but his address only stiffened the resolve of the existing strikers and angered workers in another 671 locations in other cities into walking out as well. The army were put on standby to take over from tanker drivers who eventually settled on a 15 per cent rise. The stench of the overflowing bins was awful and I was warned by my mother to avoid playing anywhere near the rubbish. By February 10, Rockefeller had had enough, using the premise of a health emergency to seize state control of the Sanitation Department. Personal prints, cards and gifts, or reference for artists. 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. 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. Striking postal workers felt wages were very low, benefits poor and working conditions unhealthy and unsafe. I don't agree with all that Margaret Thatcher did, but let's not pretend that drastic action was not required.AJ, Dorset, UK, I remember one time I had to wait two hours outside a fruit shop just to get some milk!Maffew, Glasgow, Scotland, I remember the three-day week; going to school in groups, all wearing luminous yellow bands on our coat sleeves so that we could be seen in the dark. The waste collectors strike ended on February 21, when the workers accepted an 11% increase and an extra 1 a week with possible increases in the future. Two men aged 42 and 27, were arrested in connection with the drug recovery at a Glasgow property and they will appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court today (Monday, May 1). Trying times, but we managed to keep generating as long as we were needed.John Blackburn, Wetherby UK, I don't remember all the political chaos, but I do remember playing Scrabble by candlelight and the fact that we couldn't bury my deceased grandfather. Unfortunatelythese ideas were rebuffed by Governor Nelson Rockefeller and local unions, respectively,neither of whom were big Lindsay fans. Postal union lobbying of Congress to obtain higher pay and better working conditions had proven fruitless. [9] Some feared that the stock market would have to close entirely. In addition to this, the power station was picketed by miners so that we had extreme difficulty receiving coal supplies and getting rid of our waste product - ash. 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. 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 worst strike for many was on throwaway nappies. Sixteen strikes at one time, as I remember. There was more to the 1970s, such as music, fashion and long, hot summers. Safety fears for West Dunbartonshire councillors after 'horrendous' experience. JD Constantine, now, Fairfax, VA, USA; then, London NW2, England. A short history of the massive strike movement against welfare reform in France in 1995. Two binmen filmed brawling with the public in a fight which led to one of the workers being knocked unconscious have been sacked. You can see photographs by a man named Dennis Harper on his Flickr account. 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. Guess what? The U.S. postal strike of 1970 was an eight-day strike by federal postal workers in March 1970. Copyright 01/05/2023 Alamy Ltd. All rights reserved. The action even affected David Ennals, the Labour governments Health Minister. Non-commercial use only, not for resale. Search with an image file or link to find similar images. See production, box office & company info. 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. The Uniform Sanitationmens Association (USA) had been working for six months without a contract, which is pretty common these dayswhen Bloomberg left office in 2013, every single municipal union was working without a contract. The conversation will go back to what it should be about people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Fifty years ago, seven thousand sanitation workers, members of Teamsters Local 831, flooded City Hall Park on Feb. 2, 1968, demanding higher wages and benefits. In some places managers managed to provoke all-out strikes by disciplining staff for taking part. Vincent Cannato wrote of the Lower East Side, Garbage was piled chest-high. Piles of rubbish building up in London Road, due to a dustcart drivers strike in Glasgow. Eventually the management hired some dumper trucks which were used to ferry coal from the reserve stock area. Adventures encountered by a group of refuse collectors.Adventures encountered by a group of refuse collectors.Adventures encountered by a group of refuse collectors. This was certainly true of National Health Service staff who participated in strikes during this period. My mother had to cross a picket line to get into the maternity hospital (they told her she couldn't come in, her response is unprintable.). Portuguese trade unions staged a one-day general strike on Thursday against relentless austerity which has deepened the worst economic slump since the 1970s, but support outside the public transport sector was patchy and the government seemed unlikely to back down. 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. Workers in other government agencies also announced they would strike if Nixon pursued legal action against the postal employees. This continued until the end of March but the government became increasingly intransigent as it neared collapse in Spring 1979. I cant afford to take the children on holiday or anywhere else. Between October 1978 and February 1979 Britain experienced a wave of strikes on a scale that hadnt been seen since the General Strike of 1926. 17,029 pages were read in the last minute. In the 1970s, widespread public sector worker strikes were a common feature of British life and refuse was one of things not collected for weeks leading to serious environment and public health issues and for children danger when playing outdoors. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Pay for the usage you need, licensing that works for you. Mass demonstrations were held in many cities, including London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast. 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. 15 Public Art Installations to See in NYC, May 2023, Strikingly Realistic Miniature Art Depicts Scenes of Gritty NYC. Here is a selection of your comments. They rejected the proposals and demanded the free collective bargaining they had been promised. Find the right content for your market. With their budget being cut time after time, workers are fed up with not being able to do their job properly. I do have fond memories of the seventies, but then I didn't have any worries or responsibilitiesGillian, Edinburgh, Scotland, I used to love power cuts. He served as Prime Minister until 1976, A group of Playboy bunny girls picketing outside a meeting of Playboy Club employees in 1975, who were voting on whether to join the Transport and General Workers Union, From rubbish piled high to hospital closures and endless strike chaos THIS is what Britain looked like the last time Labours hard-Left were in charge, Jeremy, Brave mum who was brutally burned while saving her kids from a raging fire recalls her skin MELTING as she desperately tried to escape. According to the Daily News, the garbage strike may have been the last straw for a public that already put up with taxi, tugboat, public school, transit and even grave-digger strikes. Ironically, while mapping out what to post about for today in New York City history, one of the contenders was re-capping a New York Times Sunday Magazine article from 1911 called The 1911 Way to Clean the Streets of a Big Town, which called on New York City to get with the program and start using large vehicles to flood the streets with water. One of the hospitals shop stewards, Jamie Morris, who became a bit of a hate figure in the press, largely due to his willingness to issue combative statements on the unions behalf, responded with bullishness to questions about this mean-mindedness : Dont you think he has been mean-minded? As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. We would sit around the coal fire and my dad told me fairies lived in it. Barlinnie prison rammy as packages thrown over jail wall into exercise yard. The 'Winter of Discontent' marked the largest stoppage of labour since the 1926 General Strike. Barbara Ciruk - polska . 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 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. Candles could not be found in hardware stores, but were plentiful in Harrods. 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. 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. Candles and power cuts are my memories of the 70s. In all, 29.5million working days were lost to strikes in 1979. Corbyn's socialist blueprint for power harks back to 1970s Labour governments who were plagued by high inflation, low growth and irresponsible trade union power. Pay less and get more with our Packs. With 80 grave diggers on strike in total, Liverpool City Council hired a factory in Speke to store the corpses until they could be buried. The reason for the strike in the 70s was over a dispute about pay and conditions. [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. That crowd was 70 percent of the entire sanitation workforce. There are calls for an extension to be built at the school with "fantastic teachers" in the Robroyston area. People who work in hospitals like this have to fight for a decent living wage, but the miners can walk into an office and be given 15 per cent just like that. Download content on demand when you need it. 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. 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. At the time, dustcart drivers were being paid a basic wage of 32.50 compared to Heavy Goods Vehicle drivers who were paid 37 in the private sector. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. 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. As the bin strikes began in Glasgow on Wednesday 24 August - we look back at the Glasgow Dustcart Worker's strike of 1975, where rubbish piled high in the streets of Glasgow. 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 [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. A LEAKED draft of Jeremy Corbyns hard-Left manifesto has revealed plans to renationalise the railways, energy companies and Royal Mail. This strike against the federal government, regarded as illegal, was the largest wildcat strike in U.S. history.. President Richard Nixon called out the United States armed forces and the National Guard in . Kevin Bridges and Martin Compston celebrate Celtic semi-final win with 'triples'. 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. The public feared what would happen if strike action continued with speculation burials at sea would be considered. Postal workers in general were upset about the low wages and poor conditions. [1] Isaac & Christiansen identify the civil rights movement as a major contributor to the 1970 strike as well as other radical labor actions. The miserable power cuts, grey cold miserable days and even greyer colder miserable days and then along came Thatcher and it just got worse. 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. In that effort, the experiences of those involved, many of them involved in collective mobilisations for the first time, has been rather forgotten. The butcher had to come round the counter with a spade as it wasnt the first time it had happened. 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. The 'Winter of Discontent' marked the largest stoppage of labour since the 1926 General Strike. 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. News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. It wasn't a great success. The industrial protests of that winter became a crisis precisely because most of the groups involved hadnt previously been strike-prone. During the lorry crisis, Callaghans relaxed attitude appeared out of touch with the British public. Callaghan narrowly won a motion of confidence after the sanctions had been heavily amended in Parliament and accepted that they could not be imposed. Striking workers at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in East London pointedly displayed placards at their pickets declaring that no kids suffer here, its the staff who suffer. After two weeks of strike action, the gravediggers accepted a 14% increase and returned to work. In the following year, inflation peaked at an abysmal 26.9 per cent in March 2017 it stood at 2.3 per cent. 19th March 1975.6 of 7. 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 is a leaflet criticising the wildly inflated claims made about the recent , A report on the spread of wildcat strikes in response to the coronavirus in the US, Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU), Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU). In the 1970s rats were freely running all through the community and some rats were as big as small cats. NHS ancillary staff, who worked in support roles like catering, cleaning, laundry and portering services, began the 1970s with average pay not only lower than the average manual worker but lower than the average unskilled worker. 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.
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