History of Trade Unions
In 1867, the Trade Union movement in Britain was limited to a mere 5% of the working class. They were uncoordinated and unsupported by the law. In fact, had the government, or even employers, cracked down on them they could easily have been crushed. Yet by 1900, they have millions of members, legal protection and strong political influence.The early trade unions consisted mainly of artisans, skilled workers who could afford to pay the comparatively high subscription charges. Strangely, it is this exclusivity in their early stages which allowed the trade unions to grow into massive and widespread organisations. These early trade unionists did not see themselves as socialist revolutionaries destined to overturn the social ladder; instead they had no political agenda. They wanted only to be constitutional and respectable, they saw striking as a last resort. Although this early strategy was not successful, it allowed the trade unions to develop, if they were militant whilst they were weak they would have been crushed quickly.They were saved from insignificance by some truly brilliant leaders, union leaders such as Guile (engineers), Coulson (bricklayers), Potter (carpenters) and particularly Applegarth, realised that the only way
The unions now had legal recognition, giving them credibility and a strong base from which to grow. This approach led to a reserved acceptance from employers and the necessary public support when the strikes did eventually come. The most notable of all triumphs was that of the dockers' in 1889, after five weeks of strike action the dockers' eventually received their two and a half pence per hour, their strike was sustained entirely from public donations, including L30,000 from the Australian trade unions. They knew that the mass unions would have to become militant and strike to succeed. However, the trade union movement was saved by the oratorical skills of Robert Applegarth, allowed on to the commission to represent the trade unions, he incredibly managed to persuade the commission that trade unions were necessary to lift the unbearable oppression from the working class, and that the outrages were not support by the amalgamated societies. The New Unions also benefited from excellent leadership, although of a different nature. Soon the Bryant & May match workers and their 'phossy' jaws were compensated after a display of overwhelming public support. The dockers' union membership rocketed by 40,000 members in one year. This remarkable transformation was, ironically, marshalled by men such as Ramsey Macdonald, who were snubbed by the established political parties, despite their devastating political ability. The trade union movement now had respectability and strength, yet it only represented the most aristocratic of the working class, for the movement to truly develop the unions would have to lose their benausic approach. the trade unions would be strong was by consolidation. The leaders, such as Ramsey Macdonald and Kier Hardie, were more dynamic and more politically orientated. However these victories turned employers firmly against the trade unions and the most vital stage of the trade union movement was to begin. It was this kind of mass coverage and ideology that lead to a string of successful strikes in the late 1880s. The strong leadership again helped the consolidation of the trade unions, at a time when militancy and extremist action would have brought short-term aim; the leaders aimed for long-term strength.
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