Winter of Discontent

The "Winter of Discontent" is a nickname given to the British winter of 1978–79, during which there were widespread strikes by Trade Unions demanding larger pay rises for their members. The strikes were a result of the attempted enforcement of a government rule that pay rises be kept below 5%, and began in private industry before spreading to the public sector; many of them seriously disrupted everyday life. Whilst the strikes were largely over by February 1979, the government's inability to contain the strikes earlier helped lead to Margaret Thatcher's victory in the 1979 general election and legislation to restrict unions.

Public sector employees

With many in the private sector having achieved substantial rises, the public sector unions became increasingly concerned to keep pace in terms of pay, especially for those paid lowest. The government had already announced a slight weakening of the policy on January 16, which gave the unions cause for hope that they might win. Train drivers of ASLEF and the National Union of Railwaymen had already begun a series of 24-hour strikes, and the Royal College of Nursing conference on January 18 decided to ask that the pay of nurses be increased to the same comparative level as 1974, which would mean a 25% average rise. On January 22 the public sector unions held a "Day of Action", in which they held a 24-hour strike and marched to demand a £60 per week minimum wage. This was the biggest individual day of strike action since the general strike of 1926, and many workers stayed out indefinitely after that day.

Related Topics:
January 16 - ASLEF - Royal College of Nursing - January 18 - 1974 - January 22 - General strike - 1926

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With the succession of strikes having been called and then won, many groups of workers began to take unofficial action – often without the consent or support of the union leaderships. Ambulance drivers began to take strike action in mid-January, and in parts of the country (London, West Midlands, Cardiff, Glasgow and the west of Scotland) their action included refusing to attend 999 emergency calls. In these areas, the Army was drafted in to provide a skeleton service. Ancillary hospital staff also came out on strike. On January 30, the Secretary of State for Social Services David Ennals announced that 1,100 of 2,300 National Health Service hospitals were only treating emergencies, that practically no ambulance service was operating normally, and that the ancillary health service workers were deciding which cases merited treatment.

Related Topics:
January 30 - Secretary of State for Social Services - David Ennals - National Health Service

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Burying the dead

The most notorious action during the winter was the unofficial strike by gravediggers, members of the GMWU, working in Liverpool and Tameside. As coffins piled up, Liverpool City Council hired a factory in Speke to store them. On February 1 a persistent journalist asked the Medical Officer of Health for Liverpool, Dr Duncan Dolton, what would be done if the strike continued for months, Dolton speculated that burial at sea would be considered. Although his response was hypothetical, in the circumstances it caused great alarm. The gravediggers eventually settled for a 14% rise.

Related Topics:
Liverpool - Tameside - Speke - February 1

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Refuse collectors

With many refuse collectors having been on strike since January 22, local authorities began to run out of space for storing waste and used local parks under their control. Westminster City Council used Leicester Square in the heart of London's West End for temporary storage, and there the rubbish continued to pile up, attracting rats, which were highlighted by the Evening Standard.

Related Topics:
Westminster City Council - Leicester Square - Rat - Evening Standard

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On February 21 a settlement to the local authority workers' dispute was agreed whereby workers got an 11% rise, plus £1 per week, with the possibility of extra rises should a pay comparability study recommend them. Some left-wing local authorities, among them the London Borough of Camden, conceded the union demands in full (known as the 'Camden surplus') and then saw an investigation by the District Auditor which eventually ruled it a breach of fiduciary duty and therefore illegal. Camden Borough Councillors, among them Ken Livingstone, avoided surcharge of the costs of their illegal policy. Livingstone was Leader of the Greater London Council by the time the surcharge decision was made.

Related Topics:
February 21 - London Borough of Camden - Fiduciary duty - Ken Livingstone - Greater London Council

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