Unions come to Buckingham Palace

“The staff became disgruntled, began to organise themselves, and finally joined…the Civil Service Union”, noted a Treasury official in 1946. “Palace wages”, he added, “fell behind during the war”.

“It is fairly clear to us”, the Treasury told Sir Edward Bridges, the cabinet secretary, “that the present palace rates are low”.

But Sir Ulick Alexander, Treasurer to King George VI, was not amused. To allow the union to make representations if the king dismissed one of his personal servants would be “intolerable”, he said. “There was no reason why the palace officials should have any truck with the Civil Service Union”, echoed an unidentified colleague.

However, Sir Alan Lascelles, the king’s private secretary, adopted a low profile. “I know very little about the financial and domestic questions involved”, he told Whitehall officials.

Most of the 400 or so royal servants at the time earned less than $580 a year. Though some enjoyed benefits in kind, including grace and favour lodgings, they had to work “indefinite” hours, officials noted. In May 1946, the king agreed to increases of between $107 and pounds $132 a year.

As the dispute raged, the Treasury reminded the palace that “it was a well recognised practice… that employees had a right to represent their grievances to their employer and that if they wished to do so collectively they couldget someone to speak on their behalf”.

A deal was struck when Whitehall warned the palace that a refusal to recognise trade union membership would not do the image of the royal family any good. In return for recognition, the CSU agreed it would keep the deal secret, the Treasury would be the go-between in talks with the palace, and there would be no formal arbitration procedures. If the press got to know about it, then the palace would say that union representation was “quite a normal feature”.