Trade Unions Flashcards
1
Q
What was the position of labour rights in 1865?
A
- TUs were small and limited to skilled workers
- No legal obligation to recognise unions and cooperate with them
- Numbers of workers increased from 885,000 to 3.2 million
- Mainly closed shop unions - so no strength in numbers
- Industrialisation led to increase in semi/unskilled workers who were excluded from unions
- Contract system meant that workers could be laid off in slack times
2
Q
What were the issues facing workers in 1865?
A
- Children working, as young as 8 in the mines
- Hours - largely 12 hour shifts
- Dangerous conditions - in 1889 alone 2000 railway workers were killed at work
- Lack of compensation following accidents
- Health & Safety was expensive and opposed by employers
- Courts considered that employer negligence was one of the normal risks of an employee
3
Q
What were the factors affecting the progress of labour rights form 1865-1914?
A
- Racial tensions
- Divisions between skilled & unskilled workers
- Employer’s attitudes (capitalism)
- Immigrant attitudes to work
- Lack of union membership and organisation
- Lack of federal govt support for workers
- Violence
4
Q
When was the Haymarket Affair?
A
May 1886
5
Q
How many workers were killed by police during the Haymarket Affair?
A
8
6
Q
How many police officers were killed by police during the Haymarket Affair?
A
7
