The Trade Unions—What Are They?

The Trade Unions—What Are They? is a primer of the trade union movement in Britain and examines the intricacies of industrial negotiations concerning issues such as the Incomes and Prices policy and restrictive practices. This book looks at the history of British trade unions and presents the biographies of five great trade union leaders of the past. Four famous trade union cases are also discussed, along with some significant events and statistics. This monograph is comprised of 13 chapters and begins with a brief history of trade unions in Britain, followed by biographical sketches of five great union leaders: Tom Mann, John Burns, Ben Tillett, Will Thorne, and Ernest Bevin. The next section presents four famous trade-union cases: the Tolpuddle Martyrs, the Taff Vale case, the Osborne Verdict, and Rookes vs. Barnard. The remaining chapters focus on some important events and statistics relating to the British trade union movement from the 14th to the 20th centuries, including laws, prices and incomes, the enactment of the Ordinance and Statute of Labourers, and the passage of the Trades Disputes Act of 1965. This text will be a useful resource for trade union officers and members as well as industry and government officials.