Portal:Organized Labour

Introduction

Image created by Walter Crane to celebrate International Workers' Day (May Day, 1 May), 1889. The image depicts workers from the five populated continents (Africa, Asia, Americas, Australia and Europe) in unity underneath an angel representing freedom, fraternity and equality.

The labour movement is the collective organisation of working people to further their shared political and economic interests. It consists of the trade union or labour union movement, as well as political parties of labour. It can be considered an instance of class conflict.

In trade unions, workers campaign for higher wages, better working conditions and fair treatment from their employers, and through the implementation of labour laws, from their governments. They do this through collective bargaining, sectoral bargaining, and when needed, strike action. In some countries, co-determination gives representatives of workers seats on the board of directors of their employers.

Political parties representing the interests of workers campaign for labour rights, social security and the welfare state. They are usually called a labour party (in English-speaking countries), a social democratic party (in Germanic and Slavic countries), a socialist party (in Romance countries), or sometimes a workers' party.
Though historically less prominent, the cooperative movement campaigns to replace capitalist ownership of the economy with worker cooperatives, consumer cooperatives, and other types of cooperative ownership. This is related to the concept of economic democracy.

The labour movement developed as a response to capitalism and the Industrial Revolution of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, at about the same time as socialism. The early goals of the movement were the right to unionise, the right to vote, democracy, safe working conditions and the 40-hour week. As these were achieved in many of the advanced economies of Western Europe and North America in the early decades of the 20th century, the labour movement expanded to issues of welfare and social insurance, wealth distribution and income distribution, public services like health care and education, social housing and in some cases common ownership. (Full article...)

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United Kingdom labour law regulates the relations between workers, employers and trade unions. People at work in the UK have a minimum set of employment rights, from Acts of Parliament, Regulations, common law and equity. This includes the right to a minimum wage of £12.21 for over-21-year-olds from April 2025 under the National Minimum Wage Act 1998. The Working Time Regulations 1998 give the right to 28 days paid holidays, breaks from work, and attempt to limit long working hours. The Employment Rights Act 1996 gives the right to leave for child care, and the right to request flexible working patterns. The Pensions Act 2008 gives the right to be automatically enrolled in a basic occupational pension, whose funds must be protected according to the Pensions Act 1995. Workers must be able to vote for trustees of their occupational pensions under the Pensions Act 2004. In some enterprises, such as universities or NHS foundation trusts, staff can vote for the directors of the organisation. In enterprises with over 50 staff, workers must be negotiated with, with a view to agreement on any contract or workplace organisation changes, major economic developments or difficulties. The UK Corporate Governance Code recommends worker involvement in voting for a listed company's board of directors but does not yet follow international standards in protecting the right to vote in law. Collective bargaining, between democratically organised trade unions and the enterprise's management, has been seen as a "single channel" for individual workers to counteract the employer's abuse of power when it dismisses staff or fix the terms of work. Collective agreements are ultimately backed up by a trade union's right to strike: a fundamental requirement of democratic society in international law. Under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 strike action is protected when it is "in contemplation or furtherance of a trade dispute".

As well as the law's aim for fair treatment, the Equality Act 2010 requires that people are treated equally, unless there is a good justification, based on their sex, race, sexual orientation, religion or belief and age. To combat social exclusion, employers must positively accommodate the needs of disabled people. Part-time staff, agency workers, and people on fixed-term contracts must be treated equally compared to full-time, direct and permanent staff. To tackle unemployment, all employees are entitled to reasonable notice before dismissal after a qualifying period of a month, and in principle can only be dismissed for a fair reason. Employees are also entitled to a redundancy payment if their job was no longer economically necessary. If an enterprise is bought or outsourced, the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 require that employees' terms cannot be worsened without a good economic, technical or organisational reason. The purpose of these rights is to ensure people have dignified living standards, whether or not they have the relative bargaining power to get good terms and conditions in their contract. Regulations relating to external shift hours communication with employees will be introduced by the government, with official sources stating that it should boost production at large. (Full article...)

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December in Labor History

Significant dates in labour history.

December 01 - W. A. Boyle was born; the Federated Ship Painters and Dockers Union was dissolved
December 02 - The Professional Footballers' Association was founded
December 03 - Tom Mooney died
December 04 - The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations were dissolved; George L. Berry died; the 2007 South Africa miners' strike occurred
December 05 - The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations merged to form the AFL–CIO
December 06 - Santa Marta massacre occurred in Colombia in 1928; the Bituminous coal strike of 1977–78 began in the U.S.; the Socialist Trade and Labor Alliance was founded
December 07 - The International Union of Operating Engineers was founded; the Fiji Teachers Union was founded; Vere Bird was born
December 08 - Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions disbanded to from the American Federation of Labor; Anil Moonesinghe died; Bernice Fisher was born
December 09 - Thomas Hepburn died; the International Federation of Building and Wood Workers was dissolved; Bob Hawke was born; Selig Perlman was born; Pablo Iglesias died
December 10 - Jean Maitron is born; the American Federation of Teachers won its first collective bargaining election
December 11 - The Union of Democratic Mineworkers was founded
December 12 - Ron Carey died; Michael Ratchford died; Anthony Provenzano died; Charles Ballam died; Tommy Lewis was born
December 13 - Samuel Gompers died; Bernard Kleiman died; William Spence died; the U.S. Supreme Court decided United States v. Wheeler
December 15 - George Hardy was born; George W. Taylor died; Chico Mendes was born; Mark Hewitson was born; Clinton Jencks died
December 16 - The Rothbury riot occurred in 1929 in Australia
December 17 - Clarence Gillis died; Mustafa al-Hallaj died
December 18 - The Transport and General Workers' Union and Amicus voted to merge into a new union, Unite, in 2006; the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers was formed; the Supreme Court of Canada issued its landmark ruling in RWDSU v. Dolphin Delivery Ltd.; Douglas Fraser was born; Randi Weingarten was born
December 19 - Frank Keys Foster was born; the Ford Strike of 1945 in Canada ended; B. T. Ranadive was born
December 20 - The 2005 New York City transit strike began; two of the Sydney Twelve were executed in Australia in 1916; the Supreme Court of Canada issued its landmark ruling in Dunmore v. Ontario (Attorney General); the Occupational Safety and Health Act became law in the U.S. in 1970; Richard Cordtz was born
December 21 - William Usery Jr. was born
December 22 - Chico Mendes died; the 2005 New York City transit strike ended
December 23 - 1929 Australian timber workers' strike began; Gunnar Sträng was born; Derek Simpson was born; Ella Vogelaar was born
December 24 - Ed Boyce died; the Electrical Trades Union of Australia was formed; Italian Hall Disaster in 1913
December 25 - Ed Hochuli was born; Bartholomew Ulufa'alu was born; Philip Vera Cruz was born
December 26 - A series of general strikes began in 1996 in South Korea; Dave Beck died
December 27 - Cyrus S. Ching died; Free Workers' Union of Germany was founded; William Konyha died; John La Rose was born; Makhan Singh was born
December 28 - Agnes Nestor died
December 29 - Flint sit-down strike began in 1936; the Indian Labour Organization was founded; Ted Theodore was born
December 30 - Bill Tytla died
December 31 - The International Typographical Union was dissolved; Joseph Yablonski was murdered on the orders of United Mine Workers president W. A. Boyle; John Garden died

Jan•Feb•Mar•Apr•May•Jun•Jul•Aug•Sep•Oct•Nov•Dec

More Did you know (auto-generated)

... that a lightning strike on the St. George Utah Temple was interpreted by Latter-day Saint officials as a beyond-the-grave request from a former church leader to change the design?
... that Guyanese trade unionist Philomena Sahoye-Shury was nicknamed "Fireball" due to her "outspoken and forthright stance on the workers' behalf"?
... that Scottish bricklayer Brian Higgins was unable to find work for 25 years after appearing on a construction-industry blacklist?
... that Sting wrote "We Work the Black Seam" because he felt that "the case for coal was never put to the nation" during the 1984–85 British miners' strike, which began 40 years ago today?
... that Warren Kilbourne led a strike against a professional football team because he was not paid for participation in a charity game?
... that on February 3, 1986, African Independence Party leaders Adama Touré and Adama Touré were released from detention?

Related Portals

Selected image

Image 1Striking teamsters armed with pipes battle police in the streets during the Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934.
Image 2Breaker boys, child laborers, working in a U.S. coal mine in 1911.
Image 3United Mine Workers of America poster circa 1902.
Image 4Registered nurses on strike in 2006 outside Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.
Image 5Mounted police chase demonstrators through Vancouver's East End during the Battle of Ballantyne Pier in 1935.
Image 6Joe Hill.
Image 7Crowd gathered outside old City Hall during the Winnipeg general strike, June 21, 1919.
Image 8The front page of the Union Record on the Seattle General Strike of 1919.
Image 9Picket signs at the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike.
Image 10Richard Trumka.
Image 11Camp put up by striking Pepsi-Cola workers, in Guatemala City, Guatemala, 2008.
Image 12Union elections with an illegal firing, 1951 to 2007.
Image 13Australian industrial relations legislation national day of protest, 2005.
Image 14Striking workers march moments before the Swedish military opened fire, killing five workers during the Ådalen shootings.
Image 15May Day Rally in Mumbai, India, 2004.
Image 16Strike sign used by the German Train Drivers' Union in the German national rail strike of 2007.
Image 17Memorial marker for the Bay View Tragedy.
Image 18Public and Commercial Services Union members on strike in Manchester 2006.
Image 19The Ludlow massacre monument located in Ludlow, Colorado, United States.
Image 20Big Bill Haywood, a founding member and leader of the Industrial Workers of the World.
Image 21Shields used by striking workers at the Carnegie Steel Works during the Homestead Strike in 1892.
Image 22Barges set ablaze by steelworkers during the Homestead strike in 1892.
Image 23William Green, president of the AFL–CIO from 1924 to 1952.
Image 24Striking American Railway Union members confront Illinois National Guard troops in Chicago, Illinois, during the Pullman Strike in 1894.
Image 25Members of the United Steelworkers in Ohio phone bank other union members to educate them about critical issues in the 2008 election in the U.S.
Image 26Armed vigilantes deport striking copper miners during the Bisbee Deportation in Bisbee, Arizona, July 12, 1917.
Image 27AFL–CIO unions protest outside Verizon headquarters in Philadelphia using a giant inflatable rat.
Image 28Illustration from the Brisbane Worker newspaper condemning the brutality of the Queensland Police on Black Friday during the 1912 Brisbane General Strike.
Image 29George Meany, former leader of the AFL–CIO.
Image 30Detail of monument to the Reesor Siding Strike of 1963.
Image 31Wilma B. Liebman, chair, NLRB.
Image 32Former headquarters of the United Mine Workers of America and the Congress of Industrial Organizations, 900 15th Street NW, Washington, D.C., in 200.
Image 33Great Railroad Strike of 1877.
Image 34Strike leaders at the Paterson silk strike of 1913. From left, Patrick Quinlan, Carlo Tresca, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Adolph Lessig, and Bill Haywood.
Image 35Exaggerated 19th century engraving showing flames and smoke following the Haymarket riot.
Image 36Political cartoon about the Coal Strike of 1902 from the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Image 37Mary Harris "Mother" Jones.
Image 38Knights of Labor Grand Master Workman Terence V. Powderly.
Image 39John L. Lewis (right, President of the United Mine Workers, confers with Thomas Kennedy (left), UMW Secretary-Treasurer of the UMW, and a UMW official at the War Labor Board in 1943 about a coal miners' strike.
Image 40A. Philip Randolph.
Image 41Union members picketing recent NLRB rulings outside the agency's Washington, D.C., headquarters in November 2007.
Image 42Lewis Hine's 1920 image "Power house mechanic working on steam pump," which shows a working class young American man with wrench in hand, hunched over, surrounded by the machinery that defines his work.
Image 43Samuel Gompers.
Image 44The Western Federation of Miners' famous flyer entitled "Is Colorado in America?".
Image 45Samuel Gompers, President of the American Federation of Labor, and his wife, circa 1908.
Image 46National Federation of Federal Employees officials sign a collective bargaining agreement with the U.S. 8th Army in October 2002.
Image 47Empty Gare du Nord train station during the November 2007 strikes in France.
Image 48During World War II, a female aircraft worker checks electrical assemblies at the Vega Aircraft Corporation in Burbank, California.
Image 49Union members march in Argentina on Human Rights Day in December 2005. The signs read "Worker rights are human rights..
Image 50Protesters barricade the street on June 22 during the 2006 Oaxaca protests.
Image 51The Place de la Sorbonne in Paris is closed by police during the 2006 labour protests in France.
Image 52Cripple Creek, Colo., under martial law, during the 1894 strike.
Image 53Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York) notice of subway closure during the 2005 New York City transit strike.
Image 54American Federation of Teachers (AFT) president Albert Shanker.
Image 55An AFL–CIO protest of Rite Aid, with Rev. Mark Reisinger (Pastor of Grace United Methodist Church in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania), Bill George, and Richard Bloomingdale.
Image 56J. Warren Madden, the first Chair of the National Labor Relations Board.
Image 57Rally in Dhaka, organized by Jatiyo Nari Shramik Trade Union Kendra (National Women Workers Trade Union Centre), an organization affiliated with the Bangladesh Trade Union Kendra.
Image 58Striking I.W.W. members confront Massachusetts National Guard troops in Boston, during the Lawrence textile strike in 1912.

Selected Quote

If I could have wished another life, I would have loved to be a pioneer woman in the beginning of the labor movement."

— Astrid Lindgren, author, Pippi Longstocking

Did you know

...that the West End Street Railway fired Cyrus S. Ching in 1901 after he was nearly electrocuted on the job, only to appoint him manager two months later?
...that strikebreakers are used more frequently in the U.S. than in any other industrialized country?
...that David Brody is credited with co-founding the field of "new labor history"?

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