Trade unions

• How did trade unions develop

  Early unions:

  > Employers made up the government- 1800 Combinations act banned combinations

  1834- campaigners succeeded in getting act repealed

  1825 combination act banned it again
• GNCTU

  • first union to group together from several trades
  • claimed to have half a million members
  • 1834- proposition of National holiday
  • 1834 collapsed due to disagreements
• tolpuddle Martyrs

  • Feb 1834
  • Six farmers led by George Loveless
  • Dorset village to form a union
  • Wages cut from 10 to 7 shillings
  • didn't break a law but sworn an oath and were charged and arrested and transported to Australia
  • Demonstrations against it held in London
  • Apr- 200k marched to parliament with a petition signed by 800k
  • Took three years for the men to be pardoned
• New model unions and TUC

  • for skilled workers who could afford high subscriptions
  • Protected trade nu controlling access to apprenticeship
  • 1860s growth go unions led to the setting up of trades councils in industrial towns
  • 1868- Trade union congress et up- focused on skilled workers
• Match girl's strike 1888

  • Bryant and May factory in london
  • Paid 5 shillings for 70-hours a week
  • White phosphorus caused health problems and Flossy jaws
  • Annie beast published articles about the women at Bryant and May
  • Matchmakers union and went on strike with Besants help
  • First group of unskilled workers to get public support
• Docker's strike

  • 12000 workers competed for 5000 jobs
  • 14 august 1889 dockers went on strike demanding 6 pence an hour
  • Sympathy strikes- 27 august 130 000 men went on strike
  • Strike saved by 30k gift from Australia
  • dockers strike showed that different trades cooperated they could force change and encourage the people to join unions
  • Marched the streets with their rotten food and fish heads
• Impact of new unionism

  • highlighted issue of poverty
  • 1899- two million union members
  • Labour Party dedicated work towards workers interests
  • 1896- picketing illegal
  • 1901 unions had to pay compensation for loss of income- weakened unions