social change 1886-1914 Flashcards
trade unions 1888
- 750,000 members
- 10% of all adult male workers in the economy
- unions had been the reserve of the artisan class
- development of new unionism afoot
- traditional unions and new model unions focused on defending the interests of their members
- growth due do terrible social conditions = views laissez-faire economics couldn’t provide society for all
- led to an increase of socialism
new unionism
- included semi-skilled and unskilled workers
- political influenced by socialist ideals
- aim to improve trade conditions
- wanted fundamental changes to wealth and income distribution in favour of the low-paid workers
- caused strikes: match-girl’s strike 1888
- growth shows political consciousness within the working class
why are new unions also known as general unions
- anyone within industry regardless of jobs are charged low subscriptions
- highly selective traditional trade unions focused on protecting the positon of their skilled members form other worker in the industry and charged high subscriptions beyond reach of artisans
trade unions 1888-1890s rapid growth
- summer 1888 - strike at Bryant and May match factory
- March 1889 - Gas Worker’ and General Labourer’s union created
- 14 August 1889 - Great London Dock Strike
- 1890s - shipping federation
- 1890s - period of retreat for trade unions as depression weakened position of workers
Bryant and May match factory strike
- women earning on average five shillings (25p) for a 70-hour week
- successful strike
- match girls union was formed 1889 with 800 members
- imported pay and conditions
gas worker’s and general labourers union 1889
20,000 members by the end of the year
great London dock strike 1889
- august 14th
- lasted 5 weeks
- by end of august over 100,000 workers were in strike
- demands: 6d per hour - employers gave in
- imported pay and conditions
- support domestic and abroad - £30,000 raised by Australian dock workers
seamen’s union and General Railway worker’s union formed
1889
1890s saw the employers fighting back against trade unions
- shipping federation to break the hold of Docker’s union
- 1893 national free labour association proved backlog labour to the federation and other employers
- docker’s union membership fell from 60,000 to 20,000 in 2 years
- employers able to find workers willing to break strike = trade unions goal in uniting all not successful
- government and court decisions were also significant in decline of new unionism: taff vale, Osbourne judgement damaged trade unions power
- caused movement from liberal support to labour representation
Osbourne judgement
- Walter Osbourne objected to paying the political levy that went to the labour party
- HofL ruled in Osbourne’s favour
- hit the Labour Party hard stirring sympathy for the Labour Party
- judgement overturned by the trade union act 1913
taff vale judgement 1901
- amalgamated society of railways company asked for a wage increase for it’s members as taff vale railway company was making higher profits from demand from Boer War
- company refused and brought in ‘blackleg’ labour from the national free labour association
- implemented injunction to prevent union picketing and sued union for damages to compensate for lost revenue during strikes
- union had to pay £23,000
trades disputes act 1906
- brought in by liberals based off Labour Party bills
- overruled taff vale decision, strengthening the union movement and leading to an increasing number supporting the Labour Party
syndicalism definition
- a form of revolutionary socialism that aims to overthrow the capitalist system and replace it with a socialist system based on trade union movement
- sees trade unions as having the power to gain control
striking between 1908-14
- the killing of a miner Tonypandy 1910
- 2 strikers shot for attacking a train in Llanelli 1911
- national railway strike 1911
- national transport strike 1912
- three biggest unions formed alliance to take sympathetic action if one of them went on strike 1914
- strikes 1910-14 = political
stats on striking and numbers of working days lost in a year
1908 - 3M members, 400 stoppages and 11M working day lost
1912 - 3.4M members, 800 stoppages and 41M working days lost
1914 - 4M members, 972 stoppages and 10M working days lost