The Munitions of War Act

Abstract

There were one hundred strikes in progress when war was declared on 4th August 1914.¹ On 25th of August a joint meeting took place of the Parliamentary Committee of the TUC, the management committee of the General Federation of Trade Unions and the Executive Committee of the Labour Party. At this meeting the co-operation of the labour movement was pledged to the war effort and it was resolved ‘that an immediate effort be made to terminate all existing trade disputes, whether strikes or lockouts, and whenever difficulties arise during the war period, a serious attempt should be made by all concerned to reach an amicable settlement before resorting to a strike or lockout.’² By the end of August the number of strikes had been reduced to twenty.³ It seemed that workers’ patriotism had triumphed over their conflict with employers.