 |
Encyclopedia—labor unionIn Great BritainAlthough there were associations of journeymen under the medieval system of guilds, labor unions were essentially the product of the Industrial Revolution. In Great Britain after the French Revolution, fear of uprisings by the working classes led to passage of the Combination Acts, declaring unions illegal. Although those acts were repealed (1824), little progress was made in union growth until the organization of miners and textile workers in the 1860s, after which the struggle for legal recognition was waged with vigor. After the Trade Union Act of 1871, British labor unions were guaranteed legal recognition, although it required the laws of 1913 and 1915 to assure their status. In the latter part of the 19th cent. the socialist movement made headway among trade unionists, and James Keir Hardie induced (1893) the trade unions to join forces with the socialists in the Independent Labour party (see Labour party). The central organization of the British trade unions, the Trades Union Congress was formed in 1868 to coordinate and formulate policy on behalf of the whole labor movement. Sections in this article: The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
Infoplease Career Center
Trade Publications FREE to Qualified Professionals.
Global Finance has been providing monthly news and analysis since 1987 about companies and financial institutions that do business around the world. |
Business Solutions article's show readers how to sell new technologies and penetrate growing vertical markets. |
Beyond.com Career Portal Software. © Copyright 2001-2005 Artemis HR, Inc.
|
|
