''In Place of Strife'' ( Cmnd 3888) was a

UK Government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

white paper A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. Since the 199 ...

written in 1969. It was a proposed act to use the law to reduce the power of

trade unions in the United Kingdom Trade unions in the United Kingdom emerged in the early 19th century, but faced punitive laws that sharply limited their activities. They began political activity in the late 19th century and formed an alliance with the Liberal Party in the e ...

, but was never passed into law. The title of the paper was a reworking of the title of Nye Bevan's book '' In Place of Fear''. It was proposed by the

Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity The secretary of state for employment was a position in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. In , it was merged with secretary of state for education to make the secretary of state for education and employment. In , the employment functions were h ...

Barbara Castle Barbara Anne Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn, (''née'' Betts; 6 October 1910 – 3 May 2002) was a British Labour Party politician who was a Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament from 1945 United Kingdom general elec ...

. Amongst its numerous proposals were plans to force unions to call a

ballot A ballot is a device used to cast votes in an election and may be found as a piece of paper or a small ball used in voting. It was originally a small ball (see blackballing) used to record decisions made by voters in Italy around the 16th cent ...

before a

strike Strike may refer to: People *Strike (surname) * Hobart Huson, author of several drug related books Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm * Airstrike, ...

was held and establishment of an Industrial Board to enforce settlements in industrial disputes. The Labour Cabinet of the

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx (11 March 1916 – 23 May 1995) was a British statesman and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from 1964 to 1970 and again from 197 ...

, was divided over the issue. The proposals had been drafted in secret by Wilson and Castle. Divisions quickly appeared within the Cabinet when the proposals were presented, with the opposition led by Home Secretary

James Callaghan Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff ( ; 27 March 191226 March 2005) was a British statesman and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the L ...

. A settlement was eventually reached with the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union center, national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions that collectively represent most unionised workers in England and Wales. There are 48 affiliated unions with a total of ...

whereby the proposals were dropped. Although the paper itself never resulted in legislation, it was influential in the drafting of the

Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1974 The Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1974 (c. 52) (TULRA) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom on industrial relations. The act contains rules on the functioning and legal status of trade unions, the presumption that a col ...

("TULRA"). TULRA, which subsequently became the

Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 The Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (c. 52) is a UK Act of Parliament (UK), act of Parliament which regulates United Kingdom labour law. The act applies in full in England and Wales and in Scotland, and partially in Nort ...

, had repealed

Robert Carr Leonard Robert Carr, Baron Carr of Hadley, (11 November 1916 – 17 February 2012) was a British Conservative Party politician who served as Home Secretary from 1972 to 1974. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for 26 years, and later s ...

's controversial

Industrial Relations Act 1971 The Industrial Relations Act 1971 (c. 72) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, since repealed. It was based on proposals outlined in the governing Conservative Party's manifesto for the 1970 general election. The goal was to st ...

. The white paper's requirement that strike action could only take place after a trade union ballot would later become a key component of TULRA. A copy of the paper may be downloaded from the

National Archives National archives are the archives of a country. The concept evolved in various nations at the dawn of modernity based on the impact of nationalism upon bureaucratic processes of paperwork retention. Conceptual development From the Middle Ages i ...

References

1969 documents 1969 in the United Kingdom 1969 in British politics White papers History of the Labour Party (UK) Labor literature British trade unions history Industrial agreements 1969 in labor relations Works about the labor movement {{UK-poli-stub