HISTORY OF TRADE

UNIONISM

A K BASU
 INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
• LATE 18TH CENTURY DEVELOPMENT –
ENGLAND TRANSFORMED FROM
AGRARIAN TO INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY
• HARNESSING OF STEAM AS POWER AND
INVENTION OF MACHINES FOR MASS
PRODUCTION
• GROWTH OF PRIMITIVE FACTORIES AND
MINES
• GAVE RISE TO MARKET FORCES
 CONDITIONS OF LABOUR
• TERRIBLE WORKING CONDITIONS –
FACTORIES WERE KNOWN AS
“SWEATSHOPS”
• SMALL CHILDREN AND WOMEN
WERE ENGAGED
• LONG WORKING HOURS
• VERY LOW WAGES
• HIRE AND FIRE
 GROWTH OF TRADE
UNIONISM IN ENGLAND
• POWER IN THE HANDS OF ARISTOCRACY
LED BY THEIR POLITICAL PARTY CALLED
“TORIES”
• COMBINATION ACT OF 1799 WAS TO
PREVENT ANY TYPE OF COLLECTIVE
ASSEMBLY
• 1793 – 1815 : WAR WITH FRANCE,HUGE
RISE IN FOOD PRICES
• COMMON PEOPLE WERE PAUPERISED
 TRADE UNIONISM IN UK
[CONTD]
• POLITICAL RADICALISM AND LOCALISED
REVOLTS OCCURRED – LEEDS,MANCHESTER
• 1824 COMBINATION ACT REPEALED
• UNIONS DEVELOPED IN TEXTILE FACTORIES
• ATTEMPTS TO FORM GENERAL UNIONS
IRRESPECTIVE OF TRADE
• 1833: GRAND NATIONAL CONSOLIDATED
TRADES UNION FORMED
• INITIAL GOVT ATTEMPTS TO SMASH THIS
 BRITAIN [ CONTD ]
• 1834 : “SHORT TIME” – MASS MOVEMENT FOR
SHORTER HOURS
• 1839: “CHARTISM” – 6 POINT CHARTER TO
IMPROVE CONDITIONS PRESENTED TO
PARLIAMENT
• 1840: NATIONAL CHARTER ASSCN FORMED – 1ST
WORKING CLASS POLITICAL PARTY
• 1842: GENERAL STRIKE RESULTED FROM 25%
WAGE CUT IN COTTON FACTORIES
• KARL MARX AND FRIEDERICH ENGELS
• 1848: THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO
 BRITAIN [CONTD]
• LATE 1840s : 2ND PHASE OF
INDUSTRIALISATION –
RAILWAYS,COAL,IRON,STEEL AND ENGG
• BRITAIN HAD MONOPOLY OF WORLD TRADE
• TRADE UNIONS MUSHROOMED
• NEGOTIATION AND ARBITRATION BECAME
ACCEPTED PRACTICES
• STRIKES WERE STILL USED FOR PRESSURE
• 1867: 1ST ROYAL COMMISSION ON LABOUR
 LABOUR LEGISLATION IN
BRITAIN
• EMPLOYERS AND WORKMEN ACT
1875 – EMPLOYERS COULD BE SUED
FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT
• FACTORIES ACT 1874 – 10 HRS WORK
• TRADE UNIONS ACT 1871 –
RECOGNISED TRADE UNIONS AS
LEGAL ENTITIES
UNITED STATES – MAY DAY
• THIS MOVEMENT AROSE FROM DEMAND
FOR SHORTER WORK HRS
• 19TH CENTURY – 14,16 AND 18 HRS WORK
NOT UNCOMMON
• 1820s: MECHANICS’ UNION OF
PHILADELPHIA FORMED
• 1827: STRIKE BY BUILDING TRADE
WORKERS IN PHILADELPHIA FOR 10 HRS
• 1834: BAKERS’ STRIKE IN NEW YORK FOR
SAME DEMAND
 UNITED STATES [ CONTD ]
• GRADUALLY 10 – HR WORK WAS WON
ALONGWITH FORMATION OF LARGE
NUMBER OF TRADE UNIONS
• 1850s: 8 – HR WORK BECAME THE DEMAND
• 1866: NATIONAL LABOUR UNION FORMED
IN BALTIMORE
• LINKED TO THE 1ST INTERNATIONAL
ESTABLISHED IN LONDON
 UNITED STATES [CONTD]
• NATIONAL LABOUR UNION PASSED
RESOLUTION FOR 8 – HR WORK
• 1ST INTERNATIONAL ADOPTS
DEMAND FOR 8 – HR WORKDAY
• 2ND INTERNATIONAL FORMED IN 1889
– POLITICAL AGITATION FOR 8 – HR
ON 1ST MAY ADOPTED
 UNITED STATES [CONTD]
• 1877: RAILROAD AND STEEL WORKERS
STRIKE – GOVT USED TROOPS TO BREAK
IT
• 1886:WIDESPREAD STRIKE ON 1ST MAY
• MAY 3RD & 4TH: KILLINGS AND
SUBSEQUENT HANGING OF LABOUR
LEADERS AT HAYMARKET,CHICAGO
• MAY DAY ADOPTED INTERNATIONALLY
BY WORKERS AS A DAY OF STRUGGLE
 INDIA
• FIRST COAL MINE SET UP IN 1820
• FIRST RAILWAY WORKSHOP IN 1840s
• FIRST COTTON TEXTILE MILL IN
BOMBAY IN 1854
• FIRST JUTE MILL IN BENGAL IN 1855
• TEA PLANTATIONS IN ASSAM AND
BENGAL FROM 1846 ONWARDS
 INDIA [ CONTD ]
• POLITICALLY INDIAN NATIONAL
CONGRESS FORMED IN 1886
• NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS
STARTED DEVELOPING
• EARLY UNION LEADERS WERE
NATIONALISTS AND FREEDOM
FIGHTERS – LALA LAJPAT RAI,C R
DAS, SAROJINI NAIDU, ETC
 INDIA [ CONTD ]
• FIRST DEMAND FOR REGULATION OF
WORKING CONDITIONS WAS RAISED
BY LANCASHIRE MILLOWNERS WHO
FEARED CHEAPER INDIAN LABOUR
WOULD DISPLACE THEM
• FIRST FACTORIES COMMISSION
APPOINTED IN 1875 AND FACTORIES
ACT WAS PASSED IN 1881
 INDIA [CONTD]
• FIRST TRADE UNION FORMED ON
24TH APRIL 1890 – BOMBAY
MILLHANDS ASSOCIATION
• 1897: AMALGAMATED SOCIETY OF
RAILWAY SERVANTS OF INDIA AND
BURMA
• 1905: PRINTERS’ UNION,CALCUTTA
• 1907: BOMBAY POSTAL UNION
 INDIA
• FIRST CENTRAL TRADE UNION BODY
FORMED ON 31ST OCTOBER 1920 – ALL
INDIA TRADE UNION CONGRESS
• INITIALLY MODERATE, BUT LATER
LEADERSHIP BECOME RADICAL
COMMUNIST
• INDIAN NATIONAL TRADE UNION
CONGRESS FORMED IN MAY 1947
• POST – INDEPENDENCE : MULTI-UNIONS
FORMED BASED ON POLITICAL PARTIES
 INDUSTRIALISATION &
TRADE UNIONISM
• MEDIEVAL TIMES – TRADE GUILDS
• GUILDS HAD “MASTERS” AND
“APPRENTICES”
• INDUSTRIALISATION STARTED IN GREAT
BRITAIN
• TRADE UNION IS THE CHILD OF
INDUSTRIALISATION
• THEREFORE, “INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS”