16 mai 1966 - The National Union of Seamen (NUS) strike

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Wilson wanted to continue the good relations that the Labour government had with the trade unions. However Brown's income and wage policy fell apart in 1966. This was due to Browns policy's not having enough support; when he managed to get those who could support him, the economy was so poor voluntary income was impossible. the NUS stroked over weekend work and overtime rates. They wanted a 17% pay increase. Wilson decided to fight back through a speech which accused several NUS leaders of trying to harm the nation. In a different speech, Wilson named eight NUS leaders as having associations to the Communist party. This stopped the strikes, however exports had fallen because of the strikes, resulting in a loss of income of £40million. This meant devaluation methods had to be put in place. Colleagues were horrified by Wilsons anti-union actions and the unions did not trust Wilson.