The North went from relative affluence to recession after World War I.
pound sterling, which meant that British goods, including those made in Northern Ireland, became too expensive on the export market. As businesses cut their employees to save money, the Unionist government was unable to prevent unemployment growing. Out of a population of 1.4 million, as many as 322,000 adults were out of work by 1922. The government was also unable to provide adequate welfare payments for such high numbers of unemployed. Almost 14,000 men received no assistance at all, while unemployed women weren’t even registered for assistance.
The Outdoor Relief Strike
One method of providing unemployed assistance was outdoor relief, when long-term unemployed were given work repairing roads and other outdoor jobs. The pay for outdoor relief was very low, between eight and 24 shillings a week. The work was hard, and some workers were paid in kind, with a voucher that could only be exchanged in certain shops. In October 1932 the situation got so bad that Protestants and Catholics united in what became known as the Outdoor Relief Strike. Almost 10,000 took part, demanding that welfare relief be raised to levels on a par with mainland Britain.
Men, women and children join a food queue outside Belfast Central Mission, Glengall Street. 230 LEAVING CERTIFICATE HISTORY
