unionism

early trade socities

• shift to industrial labour leads to early trade socities being created, the need to look after your own labour

• using the method of collective baragianing to implore their cause further

• mainly using militant tactics such as striking and threatining in order to neogate payment

• example of an early trade union strike→ 1818 lancashire cotton spinners

• why were they uneffective → employers repression e.g through the use of the document, easy repression, usally only gaining st sucess

knobsticks

• they were people who broke strikes - this overall effected the cause as without a suffiecent force of people, they could not implore the techinques of collective baragaining, leading their means to become futile

reason for the growth of trade unions

• grows out of an environment whereby the employers had become increasingly more distance from the workforce and due to the lassiex faire government it led to peer protection

• large market of jobs

• statue of artificers - no minuim set wage

• no factory reform

impact of the growth of trade unions

• did provide a level of protection amoungst workers whom were able to bring about their secuirty particaully amoungst skilled artisan workers

• bring about a power balance

• example → 1799 wigan weavers 14 branches

• there was a lead to a more defintive unionsism → further enhanced by attempts by john doherty to create the GNCTU in 1829. but this ends in a failure because memebers could not sfford the fee, out of its 1 million only 16,000 were

government response to trade unions

• the government by means to protect their interests within production responsded to the movement both through direct acts but also indirect ones. all of these were aimed at limitting and supressing any unionist action and it did weigh highly in its sucess particuarly amoungst early unions

• there was also a more deeper rooted fear of revolution amoungst the working class thus a repression was nessciary to stop this from occuring

the combitionation acts 1799 - 1800 → bans all trade unions

the combitions acts repealed in 1824 → HOWEVER out of increase in unions activity they are ammended with the 1825 which stopped collective barganing being able to occur thus limiting union activity signifanctly

the master and servents act 1823 → have ti fufil contract, meaning employers would rule out unions and since people were desperate for work they would rather take on exploitative work than no work. employers used this opportuinty to their advantage by creating the document to further stop any unionst activity from occuring

the tolpuddle martyrs

• 1834, union group whom were protecting their wages were send to transportation following a loophole in the laws → demonstratig both governments fears of unionist activity but also the lengths to which they would go to

• what is more signifcant is the public repsonse to this, as being so highly publicised, it bought the attention of unions into society

• public repsonse also → campaigns for their return, 800,000 signatures, 100,000 people protest shows how general soceitey was on both their side and also were able to fight agiasnt the repressive government as well

• signifance is mainly short term, as repression still countinues amoungst trade union activitey as cases weere not highly publised nor sided with if militant activity was involved

new model unionism and amaglmated society of engingeers

• in the 1850’s a new type of unionsim began to occur which was different from the ealier unions in may different ways, they were larger with more of a focus upon aristian work rather than average factory workers. in learning from the mistakes of their predecessors, they used more conservative tactics to promote their causes in order to promote both a more meaninful and respectable way of campaigning. in doing so they did become increasingly more powerful and change the role f unions HOWEVER they did have some negative consquences

• e.g → aristocracy of labour was created with a focus on the skilled worker rather than a more united front

• e.g → greater DIRECTION at the consqeunces of a greater DIVIDE

role of the ase

• formed in 1851 and became one of the largest and most infulential

• aims were of the secuirty of their labour which they were signifacnt in doing not only that but also serucing wider unions such as in 1859-60 when they donated £1,000 to london buliders asscoiation

• they had a more organised system and nature, e.g → 12,00- memebers, nationalised (hq in london and Lancashire), rigid adminsitration service which was adtoped by other unions - highlightning their large signifcance. HAD TO PAY!!! led to them to have funds of £12,000

• later also become polticised with connections to the liberal party

the foundations of the trade union congress

• founded 1868

• a way in which larger unions were not going to dominate more smaller unions

• demoncatic apporach to that of organsation of labour allowing for more effective strike action too occur

• both skilled and unskilled workers joining together in order to create a more stronger more supportive force for workers rights as larger ammalgmated socities could protect their funds which eaiser

government response

• they werent as repressive as they had been with previous unions → showing the signficance of using more negatoive and repsectful methods and acting in a more diplomatic manner

• but also… crucical to note that skilled workers were more vauled by the govenrment as they were needed for things such as machinery thereby they were less likey to repress nor harm them as it could potentially damage their intresets within the ecomical labour

• background of 1867 reform act

• there was a lingering desire by goenrment to subdue but also a more realtistic one which was to accept trade unionism

• 1859 - moderations act → peaceful pickting allowed

• 1868 → royal commision launched to investigate

• majoirty report - legalsation with some supression such as not allowing acess to funds

• minoirty report - full legalsation …. occuring in 1871