Trade Union Militancy

What was Belfast’s population in early 1900s?

What was Dublin’s population in early 1900s? How was this different than mid 19th century?

• Belfast- 349,000

• Dublin- 290,000- up from 180,000

• this put a lot of strain on town and instrastructure

What were dockers?

how much did they work and earn?

• labourers who worked on shipping docks and did general duties

• worked 75 hours a week

• no fixed contract

• barely covered necessities

what were Carters?

• someone who pulls around or drives carts of goods around a particular area

what was the average way for an unskilled worker in 1900

• 10 shillings and 9 pence a week

what were the livings costs in 1914

• average weekly rent was 4 shillings

• a 4lb loaf of bread was 6 shillings

• estimated that to keep a basic standard of living for a family of 4 would cost 22 shillings and 5 pence a week

what was unemployment in Belfast’s shipyards in 1908-09

• 20%

what would women do for work

• in Dublin- domestic servants

• Belfast- linen mill workers

Children in work

• in 1901, the legal age at which children were allowed to work was raised to 12

• school leaving certificates were often forged and children would impersonate their older siblings to start work earlier

life expectancy 1900-02

• males- 49.3 years

• females- 49.6 years

Infant Mortality rates 1900 in Belfast and Dublin

• Belfast- 153/1000 births

• Dublin- 169/1000 births

what were the causes for Dublin’s growth

• Guinness Brewery

• Jacobs Biscuits

• significant port

Church Street building

• 1914

• slum collapsed killing 7 people

• lead to investigation of the slums

how many people were living in tenements in 1914

• 25, 822 families were living in 5322 tenements

• more than 20,000 families were living in shared rooms together

what did TJ Stafford’s study find

• was the Medical Commissioner for health for the local board

• concluded half of Dublin’s families lived in poverty

Mortality Rates 1905

• Dublin- 22.3/1000 people

• Glasgow- 17/1000 people

• London- 15.6/1000 people

Tuberculosis was the leading cause of death

National Union of Dock Labourers

• founded in Glasgow 1889

• quickly relocated to Liverpool

• Vehicle for achieving better conditions for the less skilled workers on the docks who had little representation

• 1907- began to recruit in the ports or Ireland- mostly in Belfast

Jim Larkin

• was the driving force behind the recruitment at the start of 1907

• he was a Liverpool based docker

• lost his job after taking part in strike action in 1905

• became a full time organiser for the NUDL

how many dockers were organised for the 1907 strike

• 3100

• both Protestant and Catholic

• an achievement despite not good relationships

what were the aims of the 1907 strike

• to get the Belfast Steamship company to secure wider recognition, shorter working hours and better wages

• wanted a minimum wage for a 60 hour week

events of the 1907 strike

• began in May

• some smaller companies agreed to the terms, but larger companies did not

• After July the strike drew support for secondary strike action

• the traditional means that workers would break up strikes were not possible- used to import blackleg labour

• police officer William Barrett refuse to transport blackleg labour to the docks- caused 300 officers of Royal Irish Constabulary to also refuse to protect blackleg workers

• troops were bought in to cover duties

• 10th August- clash when a meeting attended by 10,000 Protestant and Catholic workers resulted in a clash and the death of two bystanders

End of the 1907 Strike

• NUDL leader, James Sexton, and the leaders of the General Federation of Trade Unions, Allen Gee and Isaac Mitchell, sought to find a deal for the different striking groups that was also favourable to the employers

• the union leaders considered themselves middle class negotiators- not in it for the people

• Carters were persuaded to go back to work

• Dockers had to go back to work at the end of August

Significance of 1907 Strike

• first time the labourers were able to organise for themselves

• previously had been a conservative movement for the skilled workers- now for the unskilled

• widespread workers solidarity- lots of secondary strikes

• generated lots of sympathy

• united protestants and Catholics against the employers- potential to overcome religious barriers

Founding of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union

• Jim Larkin felt let down by NUDL leadership and their conservative attitude

• Lakin had organised more branches of the NUDL- encouraged a more militant stance that was in conflict with Sexton

• January 1909- formed Irish Transport and General Workers Union

• intended as a broad base organisation for all trades- but specifically for the unskilled workers who otherwise would have little representation in Ireland- allowed for larger membership

how many members did the ITGWU have at the start of 1911? and at the end of the year?

• 5000

• grew to 18, 000

how did the ITGWU differ from previous unions?

• Old Unions accepted that employers were in a dominant position- would only seek improvement employers were willing to have

• the ITGWU suggested that it had enough strength to shift the power balance and workers would be in an advantageous position

• first union to adopt a more radical agenda

• adopted sydicalism as a central ideology- a form of socialism that encourages small, self organising groups to manage and run industries- made of workers themselves so the power imbalance would be removed

• first time a union suggested a system that offered an alternative to capitalism