Co-operation and Incorporation 1926–27

Abstract

This chapter looks at the aftermath of the strike in which the government’s victory led to a serious rethinking of its attitude to the labour movement and industrial relations. It examines the division within Tory ranks on how best to deal with potential future militancy based on the perceived strength of socialist forces. Both hawks and ‘modernisers’ were concerned to deliver a tame trade union movement. The 1927 Trades Disputes Act appeased the hawks, the ‘modernisers’ strategy was one of reducing further friction between capital and labour by encouraging joint working and consensus. This strategy was dependent on winning the agreement of trade union leaders and the TUC. Bevin, in a turn to the right, played a major role in ensuring compliance. He was subject to sustained criticism within the TGWU for his role in calling off the strike and in the aftermath in which employers sought retribution initiating mass victimisation of strikers. The central argument of the chapter is that 1927 marked a major turning point leading to the social partnership agenda detailed in the ensuing Mond-Turner agreement.