Working conditions in the Bryant & May match factory, in the East End of London, were terrible for the approximately 1400 women and girls who worked there in the 1880s. The fourteen-hour shifts were paid at a low rate which was subject to fines for talking or even taking a toilet break. This pitiful remuneration was compromised even further by the company's use of white phosphorus in their matches. This cheap form caused what was known as 'phossy jaw', a bone cancer resulting from contact with the chemical. By contrast, the owners of the factory were making huge dividends of 22% per year.

Radical journalist Annie Besant, who had recently set up her newspaper, The Link, wrote an article about the conditions at the factory, and after the workers refused to deny the truth of its claims, the

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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Bryant & May Match Girls’s Strike". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 August 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1774, accessed 01 May 2024.]