Grand National Consolidated Trades Union founded

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.06: English Writing and Culture of the Romantic Period, 1789-1837.
Vol. editors: Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Daniel Robinson (Widener University)

Domains

Trade Unions

Dates

Date of occurrence 1833-10-1834

Places

United Kingdom (Location)

Resources

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Following the repeal of the Combination Acts in 1824, and inspired by Robert Owen's proposals for the social ownersip of labour and the products of labour, many unions of skilled operatives were established in the 1820s. These movements were particularly energetic in 1833-4 and this encouraged Owen to propose the formation of a Grand National Consolidated Trades Union. By 1834 the organisation had been agreed, but the initiative was greeted with predictable hostility from the employers, government and the courts, and suffered from the competing interests of sections of the working class. Within a couple of months the movement was in disarray. It would be another 30 years before the trades unions began to work together (forming the Trades Union Congress in 1868) and the early years of the…

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138 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Grand National Consolidated Trades Union founded". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 December 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=2044, accessed 19 April 2024.]

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