How far do you agree that new model unionism in the years 1850-70 was more effectively organised than trade unionism in the years 1785-34 Flashcards
How should you assess this question?
1) Internal organisation / Leadership
2) Money / Strike organisation
3) Political Opinion /Relationship with government
4) Technology
What is a key part of strike organisation?
The effectiveness of their economics
Assess strike action for the NMUs
There was less of it due to the conservative tendencies of the leadership, however what there was was much more effective
Perhaps the NMUs’ strikes were not better because of their organisation, but instead because of their what?
profession, they were representing industries upon which the economy relied highly
What strike shows the better funding of the NMUs?
1859-60 builders strike in London where builders were paid 3 donations of £1000 from the ASE which allowed them to come to an agreement with their employer Trollope and hold out for three months
Compare the ASE builders’s strike to the Grand National’s ability to strike
The Robert Owen Grand National 1834 could only get 16 000 of its members to pay subscriptions. This meant that come the Derby Mill Workers strike in 1834, 1500 mill workers were locked out of their place of work for failing to abandon their union for four months before they had to return to work.
When did weavers in Wigan organised themselves into an association to strengthen their hand in seeking to stop wage reductions?
1799
What happened to the Wigan weavers’ practice?
spread throughout the region
What shows how the Wigan weavers’ associations spread throughout the region?
the association had 14 branches across Lancashire by May 1799.
What did the Wigan weavers have in common with the ASE?
They were both from respected professions who commanded higher than average wages
When did cotton workers in Lancashire strike that shows good organisation of early unions?
Major strikes by the cotton spinners of Lancashire in 1810 and 1818 suggests that their organisation was significant.
How long did the 1810 Lancashire strike last?
4 months
What happened with the 1818 lancashire strike?
spread to other industries so threatened a nationwide stoppage
What did industrialisation compel for workers?
As employers were allowed a free hand in setting wages, workers were forced to bind together simply to protect themselves.
Who was the ASCJ leader?
Robert appelgarth
Who was the ASE leader?
William Allan
Describe the internal organiseiaotn of the ASE
The ASE had a rigid administrative system, an elected Executive Council which was formally in charge and a paid General Secretary to manage the day to day affairs of the union and the co-ordination of local branches.
The ASE had a rigid administrative system, an elected Executive Council which was formally in charge and a paid General Secretary to manage the day to day affairs of the union and the co-ordination of local branches. What was different between this and earlier unions?
Inescapably, no earlier union had this rigid an internal administrative structure
What kind of level were trade societies effective on?
Local
What were many early trade societies?
Protectionist labour exchanges
Who had been employing the technique of strike in wales since when and what had they failed to do?
Coal miners since 1765 and they had failed to expand on a national level
Summarise why a large union had not grown early on
Local loyalties to unions even could be said to have hindered the growth of a single national representative union by 1834.
Why could it be said that early unions failed that was not because of government resolve?
It was not necessarily because of their organisation that early unions failed, but because of the strength of government resolve and population changes that reduced the role of the individual.
What government action surrounding the 1818 strikes belongs in the internal organisation factor?
The fact that their initially successful strikes of 1818 were ended simply by arresting 5 of the leaders is indicative of quite how fragile their cause and indeed their support was.
