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The Growth of the Unions |
by Gordon Smith |
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Among the many things which Victoria presided over during her reign - although more than likely against her will - was the growth of the trade
union movement. A first flowering in the early part of century was smashed by the powers that be, not least in the North East,
where some 200 leaders striking miners were imprisoned in the Bishop of Durham’s stables.
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By the 1840’s, however, trade unions, while still hampered by legal restrictions, at least no longer had to behave like secret societies.
The Miners’ Association was formed in 1841, but being a Union man could still be a dangerous business, as Richard Fynes would find out a few years later when, along with a couple of dozen others, he was sacked from the Seaton Delaval pit for organising.
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But by now, small scale unions were growing up among the skilled workers in the heavy industries and when the embryonic Trade Union
Congress met in Manchester in l868, it was representing some 118,000 workers. Insurance and social benefits were a large part of the unions’ work as well as collective bargaining.
As yet they hadn't realised the possibilities in terms of political clout. In the elections of 1874, thirteen working class or Labour candidates stood. But only two - both miners - were elected: Chas Fenwick, who became MP for Wansbeck; and for Morpeth (which included Blyth), Thomas Burt, a friend of Dicky Fynes from the old pit days. |
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