A Short History of Trade Unions - Part 1: 1799–1831
October 2018
The First Strike
I know I said I would start at 1799, but did you know, comrades, that the first record of a labour strike occurred in ancient Egypt in a dispute over beer?
A papyrus written by a scribe named Amennakhte documented the construction of the tomb of Pharoah Ramses III in 1157BC. Building workers were promised beer (along with bread for rations), and when they didn’t get it they downed tools and walked (like an Egyptian) out on strike. They won thus proving the old adage that actions speak louder than hieroglyphics.
Trade Unions 1799 – 1831
1799 -1800 the Combination Acts Early trade unions were called combinations and these Acts made virtually all trade union related activities illegal. The laws banned any working man from combining with another to gain an increase in wages or a decrease in hours. They also prohibited anyone from soliciting anyone else to leave work or objecting to working. The sentence was three months in jail or two months’ hard labour. No such similar restrictions were ever placed on employers to prevent them “combining” in any way they wanted. It was definitely a case of one rule for the workers and none for the owners.
1811- 1816 the Luddites The Luddites were a radical group of English textile workers and weavers who destroyed weaving machinery as a form of protest. The group was protesting the use of machinery in a "fraudulent and deceitful manner" to get around standard labour practices. Luddites feared correctly that the time spent learning the skills of their craft would go to waste as machines would replace their role in the industry. It is a misconception that the Luddites protested against the machinery itself in an attempt to halt the progress of technology, but sometimes they could literally “throw a spanner in the works”. Over time, however, the term has come to mean anyone opposed to industrialization, automation, computerization, or new technologies in general. The Luddite movement began in Nottingham and culminated in a region-wide rebellion that lasted from 1811 to 1816. Mill owners took to shooting protesters and eventually the movement was suppressed with military force.
1819 First Factory Act This was the first set of laws which tried to stop young children under 9 years old working in the cotton industry. It also attempted to limit the hours older children worked to 12 hours a day. Just let that sink in a moment. In one sense this was an improvement except that the powers that passed the law failed to employ any inspectors to enforce the law. The British Empire was not exactly at its height at this time, but even 200 years ago this cruel and uncaring system had been allowed by the wealthy classes.
1819 The Peterloo Massacre occurred at St Peter's Field, Manchester, England, on 16 August 1819, when cavalry charged into a crowd of 60,000–80,000 who had gathered to demand the reform of parliamentary representation.
The end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 had resulted in periods of famine and chronic unemployment, exacerbated by the introduction of the first of the Corn Laws (these were designed to keep grain prices high to favour UK producers). By the beginning of 1819, the pressure generated by poor economic conditions, coupled with the relative lack of suffrage in Northern England, had enhanced the appeal of political radicalism. In response, the Manchester Patriotic Union, a group agitating for parliamentary reform, organized a demonstration to be addressed by the well-known radical orator Henry Hunt.
Shortly after the meeting began, local magistrates called on the Manchester and Salford Yeomanry to arrest Hunt and several others on the hustings with him. The Yeomanry charged into the crowd, knocking down a woman and killing a child, and finally apprehending Hunt. However, in the midst of the throng they became separated into small groups and halted in disorder. The 15th Hussars were then summoned by the magistrate, Mr Hulton, to disperse the crowd. They charged with sabres drawn, and in the ensuing confusion, 15 people were killed and 400–700 were injured. The massacre was given the name Peterloo in an ironic comparison to the Battle of Waterloo which had taken place four years earlier.
A caricature by George Cruikshank depicting the Peterloo Massacre. The text reads: "Down with 'em! Chop em down my brave boys: give them no quarter they want to take our Beef & Pudding from us! ---- & remember the more you kill the less poor rates you'll have to pay so go at it Lads show your courage & your Loyalty!"
1824 Repeal of the Combination Acts The Combination Acts were repealed in 1824 and although their activity was limited by the 1825 Combination Act, unions developed rapidly especially in the factory based textile industry. Women were prominent in these unions.
There were also attempts to form general unions of all workers irrespective of trade. William Benbow (a Lancashire shoemaker), Robert Owen and many others looked upon trade unionism not just as a means for protecting and improving workers' living standards, but also as a vehicle for changing the entire political and economic order of society. Owen experimented with co-operative ventures and 'labour exchanges'; both attempts to bypass the existing order of wage slavery.
In the next part I will deal with how people campaigned for the right to vote in the Reform Acts, the Communist Manifesto, and the Tolpuddle Martyrs.
In the meantime, if you are not in a trade union then you should be. Join one that is relevant for your job. There are over 50 trade unions affiliated to the Trade Union Congress (TUC) with a total of about 5.6 million members and many more besides that are not. You can join a Unite Community branch if you are unemployed but want to be involved in activism.
