Ulster Workers' Council strike

Ulster Workers' Council strike
Part of The Troubles
A 1974 poster by unionists opposed to the Sunningdale Agreement. It implies that the Agreement will lead to "Dublin Rule" (i.e. a united Ireland), which unionists are opposed to.
Date 15–28 May 1974 Location throughout Northern Ireland Result Government of Northern Ireland porogued; direct rule re-introduced Goals abolition of the Sunningdale Agreement and Government of Northern Ireland Characteristics general strike roadblocks paramilitary violence
Parties to the civil conflict
Ulster Workers' Council Ulster Army Council United Ulster Unionist Council	Government of Northern Ireland Government of the United Kingdom
Lead figures
Glenn Barr Andy Tyrie	Brian Faulkner Gerry Fitt Merlyn Rees Harold Wilson
Casualties
39 civilians killed and over 300 injured by loyalist paramilitaries, 2 civilians killed when they crashed into a loyalist roadblock, 1 UVF member killed

The Troubles Timeline – Directory Ireland Battle of the Bogside – August 1969 riots – Battle of St Matthew's – Falls Curfew – Scottish soldiers' killings – Operation Demetrius – Ballymurphy massacre – McGurk's bombing – Bloody Sunday – Abercorn bombing – Springhill massacre – Bloody Friday – Operation Motorman – Claudy bombing – Four Square Laundry – Ulster Workers' Council strike – Dublin & Monaghan bombings – Miami Showband killings – Bayardo Bar attack – Drummuckavall ambush – Reavey & O'Dowd killings – Kingsmill massacre – Flagstaff incident – Chlorane Bar attack – Jonesborough Gazelle shootdown – La Mon bombing – Warrenpoint ambush – Dunmurry explosion – Nellie M attack – Hunger strike – Glasdrumman ambush – St Bedan attack – Ballykelly bombing – Maze Prison escape – Newry barracks – Ballygawley barracks – Loughgall ambush – Enniskillen bombing – Milltown Cemetery attack – Corporals killings – Ballygawley bus bomb – 1989 Jonesborough ambush – Derryard checkpoint – Derrygorry Gazelle shootdown – Operation Conservation – RFA Fort Victoria – Proxy bomb attacks – 1991 Cappagh killings – Glenanne barracks – Coagh ambush – Clonoe ambush – Cloghoge checkpoint – Coalisland riots – South Armagh sniper campaign – 1993 Castlerock killings – 1993 Shankill bombing – Greysteel massacre – Crossmaglen Lynx shootdown – Loughinisland massacre – Drumcree conflict – 1997 Coalisland attack – July 1997 riots – Omagh bombing England Aldershot bombing – M62 coach bombing – Guildford bombings – Birmingham bombings – Marylebone siege – Hyde & Regent's Park bombings – Harrods bombing – Brighton bombing – Deal bombing – Downing Street attack – Warrington bombings – Bishopsgate bombing – Docklands bombing – Manchester bombing Elsewhere Operation Flavius, Gibraltar 1988 – Osnabrück barracks 1996

The Ulster Workers' Council (UWC) strike was a general strike that took place in Northern Ireland between 15 May and 28 May 1974, during "The Troubles". The strike was called by Ulster loyalists and unionists who were against the Sunningdale Agreement, which had been signed in December 1973. Specifically, the strikers opposed the sharing of political power with Irish nationalists, and the proposed role for the Republic of Ireland's government in running Northern Ireland

The strike was organised and overseen by the Ulster Workers' Council and Ulster Army Council, which were formed shortly after the Agreement's signing. Both of these groups included loyalist paramilitaries such as the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).^[1] These groups helped to enforce the strike by blocking roads and intimidating workers.^[1][2][3][4] During the two-week strike, loyalist paramilitaries killed 39 civilians, of which 33 died in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.

The strike succeeded in bringing down the power-sharing Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive. Responsibility for the government of Northern Ireland then reverted to the Parliament of the United Kingdom at Westminster under the arrangements for 'Direct Rule'.

The successful strike was later described by the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Merlyn Rees, as an "outbreak of Ulster nationalism".

Contents 1 Timeline 1.1 14 May 1.2 15 May 1.3 16 May 1.4 17 May 1.5 18 May 1.6 19 May 1.7 20 May 1.8 21 May 1.9 22 May 1.10 23 May 1.11 24 May 1.12 25 May 1.13 26 May 1.14 27 May 1.15 28 May 1.16 29 May 1.17 30 May 2 Quotes 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

Timeline

14 May

There was a debate in the Northern Ireland Assembly on a motion condemning power-sharing and the Council of Ireland. The motion was defeated by 44 votes to 28. Following the Assembly debate, Harry Murray announced to a group of journalists that a general strike was to start the next day.

15 May

Day one of the strike

• The strike had a slow start with many workers simply going to work anyway, but after a number of workplace meetings, workers began leaving their workplaces after lunchtime ^[5] By the end of day one, the port of Larne was sealed off. Roads were being blocked by hijacked vehicles. Electricity supplies were also disrupted when workers at the Ballylumford power station went on strike. The power cuts forced some factories to close and send workers home.
• The UWC issued a statement that it would ensure that essential services would continue.
• During the evening there was a meeting at Stormont Castle between Stanley Orme (then Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office), three Northern Ireland politicians, three members of the UWC and three loyalist paramilitary leaders. The paramilitary leaders, who brought guns to the meeting, were present as 'observers'.

16 May

Day two of the strike

• The strike began to affect the farming sector with uncollected, or unprocessed, milk having to be dumped and fresh food not reaching shops. The UWC issued a list of 'essential services' that would be allowed to run as normal and also issued a telephone number for anyone engaged in such work. The UWC also ordered public houses to close.
• The strike was the main subject of Northern Ireland 'question time' in the British House of Commons at Westminster. Paddy Devlin, a member of the Executive, threatened to resign on the issue of internment.
• Merlyn Rees, the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, met with loyalist leaders in Stormont and said that he would not negotiate with the UWC.
• A Catholic civilian, Maureen Moore (21), was shot dead by a loyalist sniper as she stood at the corner of Stratheden Street and Edlingham Street in Belfast.^[6] A witness said the gunman, believed to be from the UDA, emerged from the Protestant Tiger Bay area. One woman said there had been sporadic trouble in the area that day and complained that the British Army had done little to stop UDA activity.^[7]

17 May

Day three of the strike

• Dublin and Monaghan bombings – the UVF exploded four car bombs in the Republic of Ireland. The attacks killed 33 civilians and wounded almost 300 – the highest number of casualties in any single day during "the Troubles". No warnings were given before the bombs were detonated. Three exploded in Dublin during rush hour (killing 26 people and an unborn child) and one exploded in Monaghan 90 minutes later (killing 7 people). Most of the victims were young women, although the ages of the dead ranged from five months to 80 years. There are allegations that British Intelligence colluded in the bombings. Sammy Smyth, then press officer of both the UDA and the UWC Strike Committee, said "I am very happy about the bombings in Dublin. There is a war with the [Republic of Ireland] and now we are laughing at them".
• Postal delivery services came to a halt following intimidation of Royal Mail workers.
• Special arrangements were made by the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that payments of welfare benefits would be delivered to claimants.

18 May

Day four of the strike

• The UWC issued a statement calling for an all-out stoppage to begin at midnight on Sunday 19 May.
• Members of the Northern Ireland Executive were told that the British Army could not run the power stations on their own.
• A member of the UDA shot dead UVF member Joseph Shaw during a fight in North Star Bar on North Queen Street, Belfast.^[6]

19 May

Day five of the strike

• Merlyn Rees (Secretary of State for Northern Ireland) announced a State of Emergency. Rees flew to Chequers for talks with British Prime Minister Harold Wilson.
• The United Ulster Unionist Council (UUUC) met and agreed to support the strike.
• The UWC withdrew its call for a total stoppage as of midnight.

20 May

Day six of the strike

• The British Government sent an extra 500 troops to Northern Ireland.
• Electricity generation dropped to about one-third of normal levels. People were asked only to use telephones in an emergency.
• Catholic civilian Michael Mallon (20) was found shot dead by the side of Milltown Road in Belfast.^[6] He had been beaten-up in a UDA club before being shot four times in the head and dumped by the roadside.^[8] In the Falls district, a 28-year-old Catholic man was shot four times on a street corner. The gunman sped-off in a car and the victim was reported to be in a critical condition.^[9]

21 May

Day seven of the strike

• Len Murray, the then General Secretary of the Trades Union Council (TUC), led a 'back-to-work' march but it drew only 200 people. The march was flanked by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and British Army but a crowd of loyalists still managed to attack some of the marchers.^[5]
• In a speech at Westminster, British Prime Minister Harold Wilson attacked the strike. He said that it was a "sectarian strike" and was "being done for sectarian purposes".
• A 13-year-old Catholic girl lost both legs when she stepped on a mine in the Andersonstown area of Belfast.^[10] In Bangor a bomb wrecked the house of a Catholic family who were away on holiday. Another bomb wrecked seven shops in Castlederg.^[11]

22 May

Day eight of the strike

• In an attempt to resolve the strike the Northern Ireland Executive agreed to postpone certain parts of the Sunningdale Agreement until 1977 and to reduce the size of the Council of Ireland. These proposals were rejected by UWC leaders. The British Government repeated their stance on not negotiating with the UWC.
• A bomb damaged a section of the Belfast–Bangor railway line. It was believed to be the work of loyalists intent on halting all public transport.^[12] Another bomb exploded in a shop in the Shankill area of Belfast after the owner defied UWC orders to stay open no more than four hours; there were no injuries.^[13] Meanwhile, on Belfast's Newtownards Road, two civilians (one of them on a motorbike) were wounded by gunfire from an unknown source.^[10]

23 May

Day nine of the strike

• Gerry Fitt, the then Deputy Chief Executive, called on the British Government to send troops to the power stations and the oil refineries.

24 May

Day ten of the strike

• Talks were held at Chequers (the country home of the British Prime Minister) involving Harold Wilson, Brian Faulkner (the Chief Executive), Gerry Fitt (the Deputy Chief Executive) and Oliver Napier (the Legal Minister and Head of the Office of Law Reform). A statement was issued after the talks, which stated that there would be no negotiations with those who operated outside constitutional politics.
• Loyalists shot dead two Catholic civilians, Sean Byrne and his brother Brendan Byrne, at their pub The Wayside Halt near Ballymena, County Antrim.^[6] The UDA and UVF members, traveling in minibuses, had wrecked three other pubs around Ballymena and attacked the owners for staying open during the strike.^[14] Twenty people were arrested over the killings. Meanwhile, a petrol station in Belfast was bombed for staying open during the strike; there were no injuries.^[15]
• A teenage boy and girl were killed when their car crashed into a loyalist roadblock near Dungannon. The roadblock had been made from a tree felled across the road.^[15]

25 May

Day eleven of the strike

• Harold Wilson made a broadcast on television. Wilson controversially referred to the strikers and the strike's leaders as "spongers".^[16]
• A Catholic civilian, Alfred Stilges (52), was found beaten to death in an empty house on Forthriver Road in Belfast. The attack was blamed on loyalists.^[6]

26 May

Day twelve of the strike

• The British Army arrested more than 30 men in raids on loyalist areas of Belfast.
• The UWC claimed that its system of permits was working well in maintaining 'essential services', particularly the supply of petrol.
• Police reported that–over the past few days–two petrol stations had been bombed, three pubs and a café had been wrecked and three more pubs had been burnt-down after their owners refused to shut.^[17]

27 May

Day thirteen of the strike

• The British Army took charge of 21 petrol stations throughout Northern Ireland. These petrol stations were to supply petrol to essential users who could be given a permit from the Ministry of Commerce.
• The UWC retaliated following the takeover of the petrol stations. It announced that the British Army would have to undertake the supply of all essential services, including basics such as bread and milk. There was a call issued for workers to stop helping in the provision of essential services. The UWC also stated that the Ballylumford power station would close at midnight.
• Gas supplies to Belfast and other outlying districts were affected by a drop in pressure and a warning was issued that consumers should switch off their supply at the mains.
• A car bomb exploded in the underground car-park of the Russell Court Hotel in Belfast, forcing it to shut.^[18]

28 May

Day fourteen of the strike

• The crisis came to a head. Brian Faulkner resigned as Chief Executive following a refusal by Merlyn Rees to meet with the UWC. Faulkner's unionist colleagues also resigned. This effectively marked the end of the Northern Ireland Executive.
• Farmers in tractors blocked the entrance to the Stormont parliament buildings and also much of the Upper Newtownards Road in east Belfast. News of the Executive's collapse spread to the protestors and celebrations took place in unionist and loyalist areas across Northern Ireland.

29 May

The leaders of the UWC officially called off the strike and a return to work began.

30 May

The Northern Ireland Assembly was prorogued (it was officially dissolved on 29 March 1975).

Quotes

The fifteen unprecedented, historic days in which a million British citizens, the Protestants of Northern Ireland, staged what amounted to a rebellion against the Crown and won... During those fifteen days, for the first time in over fifty years... a section of the realm became totally ungovernable. A self-elected provisional government of Protestant power workers, well-armed private armies and extreme politicians organized a strike which almost broke up the fabric of civilized life in Ulster. They deprived most of the population for much of the time of food, water, electricity, gas, transport, money and any form of livelihood. — journalist Robert Fisk, in his book The Point of No Return: The Strike Which Broke the British in Ulster

Here was an instance of a working-class movement which had resolved to achieve a political objective by means of a general strike. ... By the beginning of the second week of the strike, support for it had spread throughout all classes of the Protestant community. Bank managers and suburban golf club secretaries cheered the strikers on. The atmosphere recalled that of Britain in 1940. ... The whole operation was conducted...with the utmost discipline and efficiency. The strikers virtually took over the task of government. They enforced a petrol rationing scheme and issued passes to those permitted to go to work. They collected and distributed food, carrying with them the farmers who willingly bore severe financial losses in the process. Their public service announcements were read out on the BBC's Ulster Service each morning. Inevitably, there were instances of brutality, theft and peculation, but the prevailing spirit was one of dignified patriotic protest. — journalist T. E. Utley, Lessons of Ulster (1975)

See also

• Ulster Says No
• Timeline of Ulster Defence Association actions
• Timeline of Ulster Volunteer Force actions

References

• Don Anderson, 14 May Days, 1994, ISBN 0-7171-2177-1
• McKittrick, David, D, Kelters, S, Feeney, B and Thornton, C. Lost Lives. Mainstream Publishing, Edinburgh, 1999, p454 and 455 (Byrnes).

External links

• Key Events - Ulster Workers' Council (UWC) Strike — from the CAIN project at the University of Ulster

Ulster nationalism Organisations British Ulster Dominion Party • New Ulster Political Research Group • Official National Front • Ulster Clubs • Ulster Democratic Party • Ulster Independence Movement • Ulster Independence Party • Ulster Loyalist Central Co-ordinating Committee • Ulster Movement for Self-Determination • Ulster Third Way • Ulster Workers' Council People Glenn Barr • Willie Frazer • David Kerr • Kennedy Lindsay • Tommy Lyttle • W. F. McCoy • Jackie McDonald • Billy McFarland • John McKeague • John McMichael • Hugh Ross • Ray Smallwoods • Andy Tyrie Related articles Repartition of Ireland • Ulster Workers' Council Strike