Unionism and Co-operation Flashcards
Which act made it illegal to not fulfil a contract of work (thus harder to strike)?
1823 Master and Servant Act
Which act outlawed trade unions to advance wages or shorten working day?
1799/1800 Combination Acts
How many members did the Grand National Consolidated Trades Union (GNCTU) have by 1833?
500,000
Problems with GNCTU?
No support from most important trades (builders, potters, spinners and clothiers) and poor communication
Tolpuddle Martyrs (1834) facts?
6 men convicted of ‘administering illegal oaths’ when setting up a Friendly Union of Agricultural Workers. Sentenced to 7 years transportation to Tasmania
Members of Tolpuddle Martyrs?
George Loveless, James Loveless, James Hammett, James Brine, Thomas Stanfield and John Stanfield
What group was formed by the General Smiths, Old mechanics and the Steam Engine Makers Society?
Amalgamated Society of Engineers (ASE)
Where was Robert Owen’s model industrial town?
New Lanark
Conditions at New Lanark
No punishment, 12 hour day, 1.5 hour meal break
What did Henry Hetherington do in 1821?
Formed a Co-operative and Economical society, using Owen’s principles
When were the first Co-operative stores created?
1829
Reasons for growth of trade unions
Napoleonic wars led to higher cost of living; industrial revolution made work forces more populous, easier to set up a trade union; 1799 Combination Act repealed in 1824
Example of strike action
Saw Grinders’ Union - Sheffield Outrages 1866
How many members of the GNCTU actually paid membership fees?
16,000 out of 1 million
What did the 1793 Friendly Societies Act do?
Encouraged the formation of friendly societies to “diminish the public burdens” - ie lower cost of poor relief
What was the National Equitable Labour Exchange (founded 1832)?
People would pay for labour from others with labour instead of money
Britain population in 1750 and 1850?
1750: 6 million
1850: 27 million
What had the Weavers of Wigan done by 1799?
Organised themselves into an Association of Weavers; had 14 branches in Lancashire by May 1799;
Failed unions started by John Doherty in 1829?
Grand General Union of the Operative Spinners of Great Britain and Ireland
National Association for the Protection of Labour
Major strikes by Cotton Spinners?
1810 and 1818 (spread to other unions)
What was ‘the Document’?
Used widely in the 1830s by employers; Employees had to sign to say they would not join or support a trad union; became a prerequisite for employment
What was the 1979 Unlawful Oaths Act?
Made swearing oaths to a union/ society a criminal offence; was used against the Tolpuddle Martyrs
Economic changes in 1820s (post-Napoleonic wars)?
Food prices 35% lower than in 1810s; Gross National Product rose by 16.8%
Number of prosecutions per year under Master and Servant Act (1823) between 1857 and 1875?
10,000 per year
