PTP - Trade Unions

what were unions like in 1700?

more often refered to as brotherhoods, guilds or societies

small and only for skilled workers

aimed to protect their skills and maintain prices for their products

unions were no legal status but also were not illegal

eg hatters in midlands, wool combers in east or tailors in london

what was the business mens attitude towards unions?

found ways to persecute unions and argued that they were involved in a conspiracy

this was deemed a crime and 29 unions were prosecuted between 1710-1800

when was the combination act passed? what did this do?

1799,made unions illegal effectively and resulted in even more secrecy and unions became skilled at hiding their activities

what were the challenges for unions in the 1800s?

factories and technological developments put pressure on unions and businessmen often adopted machinery because they wanted to reduce the need to pay high wages for skilled workers

industrial revolution was a large challenge

when was the statute of state artificers repealed? what did this mean?

1814, removed a legal requirement for apprenticeships, weakening the power of many unions

what were strikes like in the 1800s?

took place but were rarely successful eg 60,000 workers in scotland went on strike 1820 but failed

what happened to unions in areas where skilled workers could be easily replaced by machinery?

their membership increased eg print makers

when was the combination act repealed? what did this lead to?

1824, lead to more strikes and unions no longer feared prosecution

the gov were scared after the repeal of the combination acts, what do they pass because of this and when?

1825, combination of workmen act, made strikes a criminal conspiracy

what do union leaders do after the combination of workmen act? why were they hopeful?

attempted to create national pressure for improvements, they were hopeful as the wc had gained experience during their protest for the gra

what and when was the GGUOCS? by who?

1829, Grand General Union of Cooperative Cotton Spinners by John Doherty, an attempt to create a network of textile unions in scotland and lancashire, aim was to strike together to force change by bringing the whole industry to a halt.

cooperation between unions was tense and union struggled to get enough money to fund strikes

what and when was NAPL? by who?

National Association for the Protection of Labour, july 1830-32

national union with its own joournal - the united trades cooperative journal

entrence fee was £1 and 1 shilling was the equivilant of 2 weeks wage so it was expensive

by early 1831 membership was 70,000 and growing

members included miners, woolen workers, potters, weavers and blacksmiths

NAPL soon broke apart due to arguments and disputes and due to handloom weavers wanting radical action due to industrialisation lowering their wages

when did builders in liverpool launch a strike - using what? where did the strike spread to? what employer encouraged this? what caused the split?

1833, using the document which said no workers could join a union

the strike spread to manchester and lasted for 16 weeks

robert owen encouraged this

internal division caused split

what and when was the GNCTU? by who? what the idea of lodges? why was it limited?

1834, Grand National Consolodated Trust Union, Owen and doherty, owen wanted all individual competition to end and industry to be under control of workers themselves

owen called on workers to organise themselves into lodges and association of lodges

spread rapidly and by feb 1834 the GNCTU was founded, lodges had their own sick, funeral and pension schemes and the GNCTU claimed that membership had reached 1m

but in reality only 16,000 paid up subscribers

it was mainly london based and made up or artisans

collapsed at the end of 1834 due to lack of money, the use of the document, inablility of different craftsmen to support each other, tolpuddle marytrs

what and when was the tolpuddle marytrs?

1834, rural labourers wages fell from 9 shillings to 7

tolpuddle labourers were in the friendly society of agricultural labourers and swore an oath and agreed not to work for less than 10 shillings

led by george loveless

union leaked out to the local landowner - frampton

he complained to lord melbourne and all members were found guilty and the marytrs were transported to australia - treat harshly as a warning

GNCTU help a meeting to protest against the sentence which included 10,000

what were the negative developments for trade unions by 1850s?

the only successful unions were those that were local and highly skilled and able to exert a major influence

chartism distracted many wc from unions

employers used effective strategies to defeat unions and often waited for unions to run out of money

the document was used

divisons between unions mc and uc not supported of wc

what were the positives for unions by 1850s?

combination acts had been repealed and unions were no longer illegal

union activity grew and people experimented with new ideas like nation union organisations

more political unions and their experience would teach valuable lessons