Trade Unions (Depth 3)

• Trade unions expanded rapidly in the mid to late 19th century as workers became more willing to negotiate and fight for improved working conditions and higher pay. Many were trade or skill based, such as the Amalgamated Society of Joiners and Carpenters.
• Members of trade unions could afford a weekly subscription of around 1s and were therefore eligible for a range of benefits. The Amalgamated Society of Engineers (ASE), for example, offered pensions, and benefits for sickness and death. Other unions were able to offer unemployment pay.
• However, not all unions were as generous. For example, the Brickmakers Society of London had no sickness fund.