HISTORY ASSESSMENT
WHAT WEREÂ THE TRADE UNIONS
The trade unions first were formed during the 19th century, in London. Trade unions also known as labour unions came about because workers were unhappy with the working conditions they had, and found it unfair, so they all came together to fight for and demand that their working conditions should be improved. This meant, higher/ fairer pay, better/safer working conditions, shorter working hours and other working benefits. As well as social or political status through collective bargaining. This demand started in London, and soon spread across the world. Trade unions led to a better way of life, through fairness and equality.
WHO FORMED THE TRADE UNIONS
Trade unions were made up of workers of similar occupations during the Industrial Revolution. Over time, the unions included people of more divergent jobs that had joined together in an effort to increase their power with larger numbers. While there was a large number of industrial workers working in factories under awful conditions at that time, trade unions were also formed by skilled workers who lost their jobs due to mechanisation in the 19th century.
REASON FOR CREATION
The creation of trade unions were initiated by the heinous and dangerous working conditions in the textile mills, factories and mines of the Industrial Revolution. The conditions were bad from the very beginning, but with the increase of trade and the need for money, the poor had no choice. The first recorded act of resistance against working conditions in the Industrial Revolution was a strike by New York journeymen tailors in 1768 after there was a particularly unsettling wage reduction in a wage-labour market. The spread of this resistance or movement was not quick or widely known at first. Rather, it was a slow process that took lots of time and effort. Normally, if one worker complained about working conditions they could easily be replaced as the poor were always looking for any type of income. However, when workers united and worked together to revolt, it became a lot harder for employers to get rid of them and find substitutes to ensure a steady output.
The formation of the Federal Society of Journeymen Cordwainers in Philadelphia in 1794 marks the start of many organisations set up in an effort to better the conditions in the mines, mills and factories of the early modern era. Labour unions started off based on the principle that workers, who played a fundamental role in production for big businesses enjoyed not nearly enough compensation for their hard labour. They envisioned a just society of honest labour and social equality where power was used justly to protect and provide for those without the power to do so for themselves.
CHANGES BROUGHT ABOUT
The working class fought for trade unions to aim for better working conditions, and to be treated better. Changes that were brought about for the trade unions was; better pay for employees, a safer working environment, shorter hours at work, and just an improved and fairer way of working for the working class. These changes lead to overall, better lives for the employees and their family. This allowed them to provide better care for themselves and/or their family. This also, lead to a reduced amount of deaths in the working environments as workers were not dangerously pushed as far to risk their lives. By having shorter hours at work, they were left with more time for recreation and other social activities, besides the day off they had to allow them time for church.
