Part 3 : Workers' movements Flashcards
What did workers join in medieval times that controlled wages and prices?
- Workers’ Guilds
- businesses were small and conditions were good
Representation of workers during the Industrial Revolution
- wage competition was a big problem because there were so many workers
- if someone complained about their wages, they would be sacked and replaced
- new technology meant that skilled workers were no longer needed
Which groups opposed the new technology and damaged machines?
- the Luddites
- Swing Rioters
What did the 1825 Combination Act state?
- allowed workers in factories to come together in trade unions to negotiate wages and conditions but nothing else
- could not use intimidation or picket
When was the Combination Act?
1825
Describe the case study of the Tolpuddle Martyrs
- six farmers led by George Loveless in Tolpuddle, Dorset in February 1834
- they swore an illegal oath to keep their trade union a secret and they were arrested and transported to Australia to endure hard labour
What was one of the earliest trade unions?
- the Grand National Consolidated Trades Union
- GNCTU
When and who set up the GNCTU?
- 1833
- Robert Owen (important figure for factory and social reform)
What was Robert Owen’s aim when creating the GNCTU?
To bring all unions together under one organisation
Prosper of the GNCTU
- very soon, it had half a million members
- HOWEVER struggled due to conflict between different groups of workers
What does the case study of the Tolpuddle Martyrs show?
The difficulties of early trade unions - word spread about the way they had been treated
Why did Owen call a meeting of the GNCTU and what was discussed?
- 10,000 attended
- the Tolpuddle Martyrs
Who held a demonstration in Copenhagen Field and what was it for?
- many supporters including Robert Owen and William Cobbett
- supporters gathered petitions and demanded the Tolpuddle Martyrs be returned to England
- 14th March 1836 - the six men were given a full pardon and the trade unions had won
When did New Model Unions start?
In 1851 with the creation of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers (ASE) and others followed with carpenters (1860) and tailors (1866)
Why were unions such as the ASE, the carpenters and the tailors seen as ‘new model’?
- they were highly skilled men
- they could afford to pay subscriptions to ensure they received sick pay and other benefits
- they did not want to destroy the structure they worked in
- they negotiated rather than going on strike
What did this ‘new model’ help do?
- helped trade unions gain the support of the government
- by 1870s, trade unions had legal status and members could picket for their rights
Although the New Model Unions had been successful….
they had only benefitted the more affluent, skilled workers
What action did the unskilled working class take?
- New Unionism, which was more militant than the New Model Unions
What were the two successful cases of New Unionism in the 1880s?
- the matchgirls’ strike
- the dockers’ strike
Describe the Matchgirls’ Strike of 1888.
- women and girls who made matches went on strike with the help of a journalist, Annie Besant, who published ‘White slaves of London’, calling for a boycott of matches made at Bryant & May
- many workers supported the strikers
- in Bryant & May factory in London
When was the Matchgirls’ Strike?
1888
Why did Annie Besant and the matchgirls strike?
- conditions in the factory were poor
- many of the women became ill, often from poisoning by the chemicals in the matches, which caused ‘Phossy Jaw’
- they were paid poor wages
- frequently fined
Describe the Dockers’ Strike of 1889.
- dockers, led by Ben Tillet, went on strike and marched through London carrying fish heads and rotten vegetables to show what their families lived on
- picketed the gates of the London docks
- in London
When was the Dockers’ Strike?
1889
