How far do you agree that the creation of the trades union congress in 1868 owed more to NMU than the earlier trade union movement?

Question 1

How far do you agree that the creation of the trades union congress in 1868 owed more to NMU than the earlier trade union movement?

Answer 1

How far do you agree that the creation of the trades union congress in 1868 owed more to NMU than the earlier trade union movement?

Question 2

Factor 1- the NMU

Answer 2

More organised: Amalgamated society of engineers founded in 1851 begins NMU, using a rigid administrative system to keep organisation (something earlier unions failed to do). Gave clear structure, included a general secretary to manage day to day affairs, looked over by executive council, ensuring that members paid mandatory fees, rather than relying on voluntary donations that created a lack of funding for old model unionism, allowing them to plan and achieve goals more effectively. Organisation of NMU bears more resemblance to TUC than any other factor.
-More widespread affair: created from joining 3 smaller unions (old mechanics, steam engine makers society and general smiths). Ignored local boundaries like towns or single factories to gain support from workers across the country, 12,000 members, ASE branches from Lancashire to Scotland. This nationwide approach worked on a large scale, creating the idea that unionism worked best with well organised and large support, which the TUC goes on to do with over 1 million members.
-More significant action: 1859-60 London builders went on strike to gain 9 hour working day, ASE gave them £3000 in donations, allowing them to hold out for 6 months, forcing a compromise with their employers. Shows that NMU promotes working class interest among business owners, and reinforces idea of breaking the chain of local unionism as clearly their actions can be more significant and respected among elites, ASE encouraged moderate approach to employer-employee relations, something that was previously a downfall to the grand national, and a theme present in the TUC.
The NMU was the most significant because new model unionism highlighted the successes that it made in overcoming previous unionism failures, through its significant actions, with the ‘model’ of organisation and large scale approach becoming the basis of TUC.

Question 3

Factor 2- old unionism

Answer 3

Facts- legacy of early unionism: John Doherty’s 1829 Grand general union of operative spinners for GB and Ireland, and the national association for the protection of labour were early signs of a growing determination for organised unionism to seek benefits for workers, and the ‘national’ ideology parallels the TUC’s methods of large scale unionism.

• Grand national between 1834-35 was a failure due to ‘the document’ but showed the resilience of workers despite the failure of even earlier unions, showing a continuing desire for large scale unionism. Shows working class solidarity from workers of different occupations, with failures that arguably provided a platform for the TUC to make improvements and changes from, allowing them to be more successful as a result.
• Trade societies: provided lots of groundwork for the ideology that early unions and eventually the TUC incorporated into their systems, responsible for the initial realisation that collectivisation was the best protection against the laissez faire policies encouraged by the government. Other policies that proved to be wrong was the focus on just skilled workers, acting as a labour exchange rather than a protectionist union, however this provided further examples of where the TUC could make changes, encouraging skilled and unskilled workers to put aside their differences to be represented.
• NMU was effectively built on the failures of early unionism, as early unionism can be best summarised as a collection of fixable failures and encouraging ideas that were adapted to be successful as part of the NMU and eventually the TUC.

Question 4

Factor 3- trade councils

Answer 4

Facts
-Universal: grouping of local trade unions in the same geographical area across a range of occupations, to promote the similar interests held by workers in similar areas. Supported smaller unions, which was beneficial for those frustrated by the NMU that didn’t always work for all unions, therefore representing the views of all unions, not simply the biggest.
-1860 London trade council was the biggest of its kind, filling the absence of any previous body, and was led by the leaders of the ASE and the ASCJ, with 100,000 affiliated by 1866, making it the biggest trade union body previous to the TUC, lasting a decade without fail.
- Sheffield meeting: in 1866 the UK alliance for organised trade promised to bind unions, but failed in 1867 due to lack of finance, but led to Nicholson of Manchester and Salford trades council to bring together other leading union members to discuss issues in June 1868, 34 delegates representing 118,000 members, showing a further increase in membership and therefore showing sustainability.
The continued efforts made by unions showed that it was only a matter of time before a fully sustainable representative body was formed, paving the way for the TUC. Clear that as support grew, success did too, which explains the large-scale approach of the TUC. Although not owing the most to trade councils as the NMU created more obvious successful policies for the TUC to build on, it was the clearest representation of large scale unionism being the way forward.

Question 5

line of argument/judgement

Answer 5

The TUC primarily owed its initial success to the NMU, who were able to use previous unionism failure to come up with a union formula that was well funded and well organised, resulting in significant action, which created many of the ideas that the TUC used. However the trade councils were useful in encouraging the TUC to form as it primarily showed the potential for resilient, sustainable unionism, as well as the success of a widespread unionism that encouraged the TUC’s nationwide approach. The TUC resembles the NMU more than any of the other examples, but early model failures and large-scale successes of the trade councils did contribute, just to a lesser amount, as the NMU was the most active in making positive changes that the TUC was based upon.