The Great Railway Strike: comments and responses
Dublin Core
Title
The Great Railway Strike: comments and responses
Subject
Various reports and photographs of the organised response to the nine-day railway strike of September to October 1919
Description
The files on this item are all drawn from the same edition of the Illustrated London News, from early October 1919. They all relate to a national railway strike which started on 27 September 1919.
During World War One, and its immediate aftermath, railways were managed by the government rather than controlled by private companies. The National Union of Railwaymen and the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen negotiated jointly with the government in an attempt to win wage increases for railway workers, though the increases they sought were less than the high rate of inflation. In March 1919 the government announced its plans to standardise and reduce the wartime rates of pay. Following failed negotiations with the unions, the second national rail strike, sometimes known as the Nine Day Strike, began at midnight on 26-27 September 1919.
After nine days of strike action by the NUR and ASLEF, the government agreed to maintain wages at existing levels for another year. Subsequent negotiations resulted in the standardisation of wages across the railway companies and the introduction of a maximum eight hour day.
During World War One, and its immediate aftermath, railways were managed by the government rather than controlled by private companies. The National Union of Railwaymen and the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen negotiated jointly with the government in an attempt to win wage increases for railway workers, though the increases they sought were less than the high rate of inflation. In March 1919 the government announced its plans to standardise and reduce the wartime rates of pay. Following failed negotiations with the unions, the second national rail strike, sometimes known as the Nine Day Strike, began at midnight on 26-27 September 1919.
After nine days of strike action by the NUR and ASLEF, the government agreed to maintain wages at existing levels for another year. Subsequent negotiations resulted in the standardisation of wages across the railway companies and the introduction of a maximum eight hour day.
Creator
Anonymous photographers and journalists.
Source
Illustrated London News, 4 October 1919: 501; 504; 514-5; 528
Publisher
Lancaster University
Date
1919
Contributor
Relation
Circulars from the National Union of Railwaymen relating to the strike http://contentdm.warwick.ac.uk/cdm/ref/collection/tav/id/2357
Coverage
Twentieth century, interwar period
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Photographs and reports published in newspaper
Files
Collection
Citation
Anonymous photographers and journalists., “The Great Railway Strike: comments and responses,” Local History Resources for Schools, accessed April 24, 2024, https://regionalheritage.omeka.net/items/show/37.
Comments
Sam Riches
The captions on the individual photographs relating to food distribution, and on the double-page spread as a whole, are concerned with to the organisation of food distribution during the railway strike. This included the requisitioning of commercial vehicles - the photograph on the bottom left shows a Waring and Gillow lorry. Although the address given on the side of the lorry is Oxford Street, London, this company's furniture was built in Lancaster, so it is likely that this lorry would have regularly made the journey from Lancaster to London and back.
Sam Riches
The captions on the photographs of 'the rush of volunteers' and the overall commentary indicates that volunteers were involved in a range of activities, including food and mail distribution, substitute rail services and driving motor vehicles. There is a comment on the number of ex-service people coming forward, and there is a photograph of a 'Miss Purser', a woman formerly employed as a driver in the services. The overall caption also mentions women volunteering alongside men.
Sam Riches
On 'the nine day strike', the two photographs relate to strikers - bicycles outside a strike meeting and railwaymen waiting for admittance to a meeting on 27 September.The untitled short report in the right-hand column relates to an aeroplane mail service which was running between London and various British cities, including Manchester. It specifies the costs to users of the service.