12. Unions In The 19th Century Flashcards
What were the government afraid of?
Worried about workers uniting and combining
So what did they do to prevent their fears from happening?
I’m 1799 and 1800, the Government passed Combination Acts which prevented combinations of either workers or employers
However, these acts were only against workers
Nevertheless, many workers did combine in effort to protect their wages and status
Early trade unions were defensive trying to maintain wages especially as new technology was being invented, with some breaking the modern technology
Why were workers in a stronger position if they banded together?
This would put pressure on employers
They were relatively well paid and could afford subscriptions to combinations which acted like friendly society’s, paying sick or unemployed benefit and making payments to widows
By emphasising these activities, they were able to avoid so,e of the restrictions of the Combination Acts
What union emerged in the 1820s to 1830s?
The GNCTU
Grand national consolidated trade union
What did the GNCTU do?
They tried to combine workers in 1834 from all trades across the country
It claimed 500,000 members but probably only had around 16,000 paid-up members
It proposed a ‘national holiday’ or general strike to raise wages
However it disintegrated as it cause bickering and differing objectives
Its strength was mostly among skilled workers in London
After it’s failure many turned to political action and Chartism
What unions were successful in the 1850s and 1860s?
Ones that were made up of skilled workers paying high subscriptions
The Amalgamated Society Of Engineers has 35,000 members by 1870
Membership increased in good times when members could afford the subscriptions
What Act did courts use repeatedly?
The Master and Servants Act of 1823 which said it was illegal for workers to break their contracts by going on strike
What small strikes happened around England ?
Most ‘craft’ unions remained small until the 1870s.
In Sheffield there 56 separate unions in the cutlery trade
More concerted action was taken by a London builders in 1859
A local strike by masons spread when other master builders across London locked out workers who refused to sign a pledge not to join a union/not to go go on strike
Unions across the country sent money to support the workers who managed to stay out on strike until February 1860
A compromise was reached with employers allowing unions but workers worked ten hour days
What did New industrial towns develop?
Trade councils in 1860s
These involved union delegates meeting together
In 1868, the Trades Union Congress, an annual meeting of delegates from across the whole country began
Which employers weren’t against trade unions?
AJ mundella was a Nottingham hosiery manufacture
He paid high wages, offered good working conditions and ran his factory for only nine hours a day
He recognised the effective role unions could play
He becamea liberal MP and in 1871, guided the first ever Trade Union Act through Parliament
In 1872, he drove through an act to reduce the hours women and children worked in coal mines
He became known as the unofficial spokesman for trade unions in the House of Commons
What began to emerge in the 1880s and why?
Unions of non-skilled workers emerged
The gap between rich and poor had widened significantly and in the new towns, rich people were moving to the suburbs, leaving areas where only workers lived
From 1870, education was compulsory
1872 the secret ballot allowed those to vote as they wanted, not what their employers wanted
A distinct working class culture with football and working men’s clubs sprang up in many areas
Who was Annie Besant?
She was a life-long socialist and powerful speaker who devoted her life to campaigning for the rights of workers, especially women
She was sent to 6 months in prison for releasing a birth control book
She wrote in a weekly journal called The Link about women workers at the match Factory in London
What was wrong with these factors and the women working there?
The women only earned 5 shillings for working 70-hour weeks.
The work was dangerous and unpleasant
White phosphorus used to make matches could lease to brain damage and death
What did Annie Besant do?
After an article appeared about it in 1888, the employers tried to make workers sign a document saying they were treated fairly
Most refused and went in strike and Annie helped these women formulate their demands
She took 50 of them to parliament to demand a fairer wage and organised a union
After 5 weeks the employers gave in to most demands
This was the first time an unorganised and unskilled group of women had gone on strike and won
What were the Dockers’s Strikes?
In 1889 there were more successful strikes - The London Gas Workers Union formed in March with 800 workers who demanded an 8 hour day
Within two weeks membership rose to 3,000 workers and employers gave into their demand
At the London Docks, there were too many workers than jobs with most just turning up to see if work was available. Eventually it turned into an all out strike
