Museum Exhibit
Transcript: Working Conditions Protests Achievements from Protest By: Jake Sun Working Conditions Mines and corollaries act passed from the government in 1842 prohibited all girls and boys under ten years old from working underground in coal mines in 1841, about 216,000 people were employed in mines. Women and children worked for 11 to 12 hours a day for smaller wages than man In 1838, after an accident at Huskar Colliery in Silkstone, the public became aware of conditions in collieries Combination Act in 1799, the Prime Minister decided to take action against political agitation among industrial workers an act to prevent unlawful combinations of workmen prohibited trade unions and collective bargaining by British workers. Under what conditions did factory workers work? in extremely poor conditions using building materials that were the cheapest a builder could find (the cities needed cheap homes as the Industrial Revolution continued to grow) worked with few building regulations and those that did exist were also ignored How long did factory workers work? 14 to 16 hours a day for six days a week workers only received a break for lunch and a break for dinner Research Question The passing of this act did not mean that the mistreatment to children stopped instantly. However, this act was important because this impacted the idea of the workers that things can be changed. Six main aims of the movement: 1. a vote for all men (over 21) 2. the secret ballot 3. no property qualification to become a Member of Parliament (MP) 4. payment for MPs 5. electoral districts of equal size 6. annual elections for Parliament How much did the factory workers get paid? at a conference in 1872, chandelier maker from Birmingham stated that unskilled workers only received about 10 cents an hour (West Midlands History) skilled workers earned a little more but the amount was not that significant Safety standards? Some factories in the UK had wet floors covered in oil and water from machines “The floors were oily and if you slipped when you were piecing your ends up, you’d go straight over the top.” (cotton mill worker) The sanitary conditions were also bad, as there were not enough toilets in the factories (a block of 40 houses would have possibly 6 toilets for all persons) “Life in Industrial Towns.” History Learning Site, www.historylearningsite.co.uk/britain-1700-to-1900/industrial-revolution/life-in-industrial-towns/. “Working Practices and Conditions in the Birmingham Brass Industry.” Revolutionary Players, www.revolutionaryplayers.org.uk/working-practices-and-conditions-in-the-birmingham-brass-industry/. “Working and Living Conditions.” The Industrial Revolution, firstindustrialrevolution.weebly.com/working-and-living-conditions.html. “Children & Cotton - Learning Zone for Social Studies & Citizenship.” Children & Cotton - Learning Zone for Social Studies & Citizenship, www.newlanark.org/learningzone/clitp-dangerinthemill.php. “Working Conditions in Factories & Creations of Unions.” Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/kenluuu/working-conditions-in-factories-creations-of-union/. “The National Archives Learning Curve | Power, Politics and Protest | The Chartists.” Home - The National Archives, www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/politics/g7/. “Childhood and Child Labour in Industrial England: Diversity and Agency, 1750-1914.” EHnet, eh.net/book_reviews/childhood-and-child-labour-in-industrial-england-diversity-and-agency-1750-1914/. “Senghenydd Colliery Disaster.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senghenydd_colliery_disaster. “BBC - History - British History in Depth: The Chartist Movement 1838 - 1848.” BBC News, BBC, www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/chartist_01.shtml. “The 1833 Factory Act.” UK Parliament, www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/livinglearning/19thcentury/overview/factoryact/. “10 Hours Movement.” 10 Hours Movement, www.industrialrevolution.org/10-hours-movement.html. (John@spartacus-educational.com), John Simkin. “Spartacus Educational.” Spartacus Educational, Spartacus Educational, spartacus-educational.com/Lcombination25.htm. Industrial Revolution What impact did the Industrial Revolution have on workers in major cities in the UK? Working Conditions The Factory act passed from the government in 1833 young children were working very long hours in workplaces where conditions were often terrible. The basic act was as follows: no child workers under nine years of age employers must have an age certificate for their child workers children of 9-13 years to work no more than nine hours a day children of 13-18 years to work no more than 12 hours a day children are not to work at night two hours schooling each day for children four factory inspectors appointed to enforce the law Industrial Disasters Achievements of Protest Injuries during work? the factories were designed based on machines not for the workers there were frequent injuries during the work day smoke spit out from the