History of trade unions in the United Kingdom - wikipedia History of trade unions in the United Kingdom The history of trade unions in the United Kingdom covers British trade union organisation, activity, ideas, politics, and impact, from the early 19th century to the present. Contents 1 18 - 19th century 1.1 Chartism 1.2 New establishments 1.3 New Unionism : 1889 -- 93 1.4 Women 1.5 Emerging Labour Party 2 Since 1900 2.1 1900 -- 45 2.1. 1 Upheavals : 1910 -- 14 2.1. 2 First World War 2.1. 3 1920s 2.1. 4 Foreign policy 2.2 Since 1945 2.2. 1 1978 -- 79 2.2. 2 Thatcher and 1980s 2.2. 3 Membership decline 3 Academic journals 4 See also 5 Notes 6 Further reading 6.1 World wars 6.2 Historiography 18 - 19th century Meeting of the trade unionists in Copenhagen Fields, 21 April 1834, for the purpose of carrying a petition to the King for a remission of the sentence passed on the Dorchester labourers Unions in Britain were subject to often severe repression until 1824, but were already widespread in cities such as London. Trade unions were legalised in 1824, when growing numbers of factory workers joined these associations in their efforts to achieve better wages and working conditions. Workplace militancy had also manifested itself as Luddism and had been prominent in struggles such as the 1820 Rising in Scotland, in which 60,000 workers went on a general strike, which was soon crushed. From 1830 on, attempts were made to set up national general unions, most notably Robert Owen 's Grand National Consolidated Trades Union in 1834, which attracted a range of socialists from Owenites to revolutionaries. That organisation played a part in the protests after the Tolpuddle Martyrs ' case, but soon collapsed. An important development of the trade union movement in Wales was the Merthyr Rising in May 1831 where coal and steel workers employed by the powerful Crawshay family took to the streets of Merthyr Tydfil, calling for reform, protesting against the lowering of their wages and general unemployment. Gradually the protest spread to nearby industrial towns and villages and by the end of May the whole area was in rebellion, and for the first time in the world the red flag of revolution was flown -- which has since been adopted internationally by the trades union movement and socialist groups generally. Chartism In the later 1830s and 1840s, trade unionism was overshadowed by political activity. Of particular importance was Chartism, the aims of which were supported by most socialerals, although none appear to have played leading roles. Chartism was a working - class movement for political reform in Britain which existed from 1838 to 1858. It took its name from the People 's Charter of 1838 and was a national protest movement, with particular strongholds of support in Northern England, the East Midlands, the Staffordshire Potteries, the Black Country, and the South Wales Valleys. Support for the movement was at its highest in 1839, 1842, and 1848, when petitions signed by millions of working people were presented to Parliament. The strategy employed was to use the scale of support which these petitions and the accompanying mass meetings demonstrated to put pressure on politicians to concede manhood suffrage. Chartism thus relied on constitutional methods to secure its aims, though there were some who became involved in insurrectionary activities, notably in south Wales and Yorkshire. The government did not yield to any of the demands, and suffrage had to wait another two decades. Chartism was popular among some trade unions, especially London 's tailors, shoemakers, carpenters, and masons. One reason was the fear of the influx of unskilled labour, especially in tailoring and shoe making. In Manchester and Glasgow, engineers were deeply involved in Chartist activities. Many trade unions were active in the general strike of 1842, which spread to 15 counties in England and Wales, and eight in Scotland. Chartism taught techniques and political skills that inspired trade union leadership. New establishments Union activity from the 1850s to the 1950s in textiles and engineering was largely in the hands of the skilled workers. They supported differentials in pay and status as opposed to the unskilled. They focused on control over machine production and were aided by competition among firms in the local labour market. After the Chartist movement of 1848 fragmented, efforts were made to form a labour coalition. The Miners ' and Seamen 's United Association in the North - East, operated 1851 -- 1854 before it too collapsed because of outside hostility and internal disputes over goals. The leaders sought working - class solidarity as a long - term aim, thus anticipating the affiliative strategies promoted by the Labour Parliament of 1854. More permanent trade unions were established from the 1850s, better resourced but often less radical. The London Trades Council was founded in 1860, and the Sheffield Outrages spurred the establishment of the Trades Union Congress in 1868. The legal status of trade unions in the United Kingdom was established by a Royal Commission on Trade Unions in 1867, which agreed that the establishment of the organisations was to the advantage of both employers and employees. Unions were legalised in 1871 with the adoption of the Trade Union Act 1871. New Unionism : 1889 -- 93 The `` aristocracy of labour '' comprise the skilled workers who were proud and jealous of their monopolies, and set up labour unions to keep out the unskilled and semiskilled. The strongest unions of the mid-Victorian period were unions of skilled workers such as the Amalgamated Society of Engineers. Trade unionism was quite uncommon amongst semi-skilled and unskilled workers. The union officials avoided militancy, fearing that strikes would threaten the finances of unions and thereby their salaries. An unexpected strike wave broke out in 1889 -- 90, largely instigated by the rank and file. Its success can be explained by the dwindling supply of rural labour, which in turn increased the bargaining power of unskilled workers. The New Unionism starting in 1889 was a systematic outreach to bring in as union members the striking unskilled and semiskilled workers. Ben Tillett was a prominent leader of the London Dock strike of 1889. He formed the Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Labourers ' Union in 1889, which had support from skilled workers. Its 30,000 members won an advance in wages and working conditions. Unions played a prominent role in the creation of the Labour Representation Committee which effectively formed the basis for today 's Labour Party. Women Women were largely excluded from trade union formation, membership, and hierarchies until the late 20th century. When women did attempt to challenge male hegemony and make inroads into the representation of labour and combination, it was largely due to the tenacity of middle - class reformers such as the Women 's Protective and Provident League ( WPPL ) which sought to amiably discuss conditions with employers in the 1870s. It became the Women 's Trade Union League. Militant Socialists broke away from the WPPL and formed the Women 's Trade Union Association, but they had little impact. There were a few cases in the 19th century where women trade union members took initiative. In the 1875 West Yorkshire weavers ' strike, women did play a central role. Emerging Labour Party Main article : History of the Labour Party The Labour Party 's origins lie in the late 19th century, when it became apparent that there was a need for a new political party to represent the interests and needs of the urban proletariat, a demographic which had increased in number and had recently been given franchise. Some members of the trades union movement became interested in moving into the political field, and after further extensions of the voting franchise in 1867 and 1885, the Liberal Party endorsed some trade - union sponsored candidates. The first Lib -- Lab candidate to stand was George Odger in the Southwark by - election of 1870. In addition, several small socialist groups had formed around this time, with the intention of linking the movement to political policies. Among these were the Independent Labour Party, the intellectual and largely middle - class Fabian Society, the Marxist Social Democratic Federation and the Scottish Labour Party. Since 1900 1900 -- 45 Politics became a central issue for the coal miners, whose organisation was facilitated by their location in remote one - industry villages. The Miners ' Federation of Great Britain formed in 1888, and counted 600,000 members in 1908. Much of the ' old left ' of Labour politics can trace its origins to coal - mining areas. Upheavals : 1910 -- 14 The years 1910 -- 14 witnessed serious industrial unrest and an enormous increase in trade union membership, which affected all industries to varying extents. The militants are most active in coal mining, textiles and transportation. Much of the militancy emerged from grassroots protests against falling real wages, with union leadership scrambling to catch up. The new unions of semiskilled workers were the most militant. The National Sailors ' and Firemen 's Union directed strike activities in many port cities across Britain. The national leadership was strongly supported by local leaders, for example the Glasgow Trades Council. In Glasgow and other major cities there were distinctive local variations. Glasgow was more unified and coherent than most centres. The long - term result was seen in the strength of waterfront organisation on the Clyde River, marked as it was by the emergence of independent locally based unions among both dockers and seamen. First World war Further information : History of the United Kingdom during World War I § Labour, and Home front during World War I § Britain Industrial production of munitions was a central feature of the war, and with a third of the men in the labour force moved into the military, demand was very high for industrial labour. Large numbers of women were employed temporarily. Trade unions gave strong support to the war effort, cutting back on strikes and restrictive practices. Membership doubled from 4.1 million in 1914, to 8.3 million in 1920. 65 percent of union members had been associated with the Trades Union Congress ( TUC ) in 1914, rising to 77 percent in 1920. Labour 's prestige had never been higher, and it systematically placed its leaders into Parliament. The Munitions of War Act 1915 followed the Shell Crisis of 1915 when supplies of material to the front became a political issue. The Act forbade strikes and lock - outs and replaced them with compulsory arbitration. It set up a system of controlling war industries, and established munitions tribunals that were special courts to enforce good working practices. It suspended, for the duration, restrictive practices by trade unions. It tried to control labour mobility between jobs. The courts ruled the definition of munitions was broad enough to include textile workers and dock workers. 1915 act was repealed in 1919, but similar legislation took effect during the Second World War. In Glasgow, the heavy demand for munitions and warships strengthened union power. There emerged a radical movement called `` Red Clydeside '' led by militant trades unionists. Formerly a Liberal Party stronghold, the industrial districts switched to Labour by 1922, with a base among the Irish Catholic working class districts. Women were especially active solidarity on housing issues. However, the `` Reds '' operated within the Labour Party and had little influence in Parliament ; the mood changed to passive despair by the late 1920s. The war saw in a further increase in union membership, as well as widespread recognition of unions and their increased involvement in management. Strikes were not patriotic, and the government tried to hold wages down. At war 's end unions became quite militant in attempting to hold their gains ; they were usually defeated. Membership grew from 4.1 million in 1914 to 6.5 million in 1918, peaking at 8.3 million in 1920 before relapsing to 5.4 million in 1923. 1920s The immediate postwar era saw a series of radical events, stimulated in part by the communist / Bolshevik takeover of Russia in 1917. The trade unions especially in Scotland were militant. However the government compromised, and as the economy stabilised in the early 1920s the labour unions moved sharply to the right. An exception came with the coal miners union, which faced lower wages in a declining industry hurt by lower prices, severe competition from oil, and sharply declining productivity in Britain 's ageing coal mines. The 1926 General Strike was declared by the Trades Union Congress for the benefit of the coal miners, but it failed. It was a nine - day nationwide walkout of one million railwaymen, transport workers, printers, dockers, ironworkers and steelworkers supporting the 1.5 million coal miners who had been locked out. Ultimately many miners returned to work, and were forced to accept longer hours and lower pay. Additionally, in 1927 the government passed sweeping anti-union legislation under the Trade Disputes and Trade Union Act. This imposed major curbs on union power, including outlawing sympathetic strikes and mass picketing, and ensuring that civil service unions were banned from affiliating with the TUC. The 1926 general strike was considered a grave mistake by TUC leaders such as Ernest Bevin. Most historians treat it as a singular event with few long - term consequences, but Martin Pugh says it accelerated the movement of working - class voters to the Labour Party, which led to future gains. The Trade Disputes and Trade Unions Act 1927 made general strikes illegal and ended the automatic payment of union members to the Labour Party. That act was largely repealed in 1946. Foreign policy The foreign policy of the trade unions was generally anti-Communist. Support for the Republican cause in the Spanish Civil War, 1936 -- 39 Was widespread on the left, attendees included conservatives and liberals as well. However, the Labour Party leadership deeply distrusted the communist element and rejected proposed unity campaigns. The TUC, working in collaboration with the American Federation of Labor blocked a 1937 proposal to allow Soviet trade union membership in the International Federation of Trade Unions ( IFTU ). The TUC reversed its policy in 1938 to allow the Russians in, but one backed opposition in 1939 when Stalin and Hitler came to terms. When Britain entered the war, the TUC was a strong supporter, and it sent leaders to the United States to win American labour support. When Hitler invaded Russia in 1941, TUC sent leaders to Moscow as well, realising that Britain needed a military alliance against Hitler. Meanwhile, the AFL fought against any recognition of Soviet organisations, and fought its own battle with the CIO which was pro -- Moscow. As a result of these manipulations, the foreign policy voice of organised labour in both Britain and the United States was seriously weakened. It played little role in the formation of the United Nations as the war ended. After the war, the British unions resumed a staunchly anti-communist and anti-Soviet position. Communists did however occupy local positions of power especially in the coal miners ' union. While involvement in foreign policy went poorly, British trade unions grew dramatically in membership and power during the Second World War. The unexpected landslide of the Labour Party in 1945 gave it a strong voice in national affairs, Especially with Ernest Bevin as Foreign Minister. Since 1945 Trade unions reached their peak of membership, visibility, prestige and political power in the postwar era. A broad `` post-war consensus '' accepted their status, and they were heavily represented in the leadership of the Labour Party. By the 1970s their power had grown further, but their prestige was in decline and the consensus disappeared. In the 1980s the Conservative Party led by Margaret Thatcher deliberately and significantly weakened the trade union movement. It has never recovered. The strong anti-communist policy persisted in the postwar era. The unions gave strong support to British participation in the Cold War and NATO, as well as international bodies such as the international Confederation of Free Trade Unions that excluded communist unions of the sort that joined the Soviet - dominated World Federation of Trade Unions. In some trades, especially coal mining, the Communists did have some power, as typified by Arthur Scargill, the president of the National Union of Mineworkers ( NUM ) from 1982 to 2002. Scargill defied public opinion, a trait Prime Minister Thatcher exploited when she defeated his strike in 1985. More effective in the Communist cause was Ken Gill, president of a large union and in 1974 the first Communist elected in decades to the TUC General Council. He focused on racial issues. British unions collaborated with the AFL -- CIO in the United States on international projects. In the 1980s, worldwide union attention focused on the Solidarity union movement in Poland, which finally succeeded in breaking the communist control of that country. Norman Willis, the general secretary of the TUC, vigorously promoted union support for Solidarity. The nuclear disarmament movement, which played a major role in Labour Party internal politics in the 1980s, was primarily a middle - class movement that had little support in the labour movement. 1978 -- 79 Main article : Winter of Discontent Major strike action by British unions during the 1978 -- 1979 Winter of Discontent contributed to the downfall of the Labour government of James Callaghan. Callaghan, himself a trade - unionist, had previously appealed for unions to exercise pay restraint, as part of the British Government 's policies at the time to try to curb rampant inflation. His attempt to try to limit unions to a 5 % pay rise led to widespread official and unofficial strikes across the country during the winter of that year. Official and unofficial strike action by lorry drivers, rail workers, nurses and ambulance drivers precipitated a feeling of crisis in the country. The effects of the union action caused a major swing in voting intention. In November 1978, a Gallup poll suggested a 5 % Labour lead in the opinion polls. Following the union action that Winter, in February 1979, the Conservatives had a 20 % lead. Thatcher and 1980s Further information : UK miners ' strike ( 1984 -- 85 ) Callaghan 's government fell and Margaret Thatcher 's Conservatives swept to victory in the subsequent general election and introduced new union laws in part to combat the industrial unrest that had plagued the previous Wilson and Callaghan governments. The unions in turn were her bitter enemies. Thatcher saw strong trade unions as an obstacle to economic growth and passed restrictive legislation of the sort the Tories had long avoided. More than 6,000 printing workers went on strike in 1986 in the Wapping dispute, for what they and their union saw as `` unacceptable '' terms of employment for jobs at The Sun newspaper 's new HQ in Wapping. They too lost. The National Union of Mineworkers ( NUM ) had long been one of the strongest labour unions. Its strikes had toppled the Heath government in the 1970s - the miners were successful in their 1984 -- 1985 strike, when a 12 - month strike was called by NUM leader Arthur Scargill in protest against proposed pit closures. The miners, however, were fighting not just for high wages but for a way of life that had to be subsidised by other workers. The Union split ; its strategy was flawed. Over several decades, almost all the mines were shut down. Membership decline Membership declined steeply in the 1980s and 1990s, falling from 13 million in 1979 to around 7.3 million in 2000. In 2012, union membership dropped below 6 million for the first time since the 1940s. From 1980 to 1998, the proportion of employees who were union members fell from 52 per cent to 30 per cent. Academic journals The Labor History journal, a scholarly publication published by Taylor & Francis Labour History, a scholarly journal published in Australia by the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History ( ASSLH ) The Labour History Review, a scholarly journal published in the UK by the Society for the Study of Labour History See also Organised labour portal United Kingdom portal Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act 1875 Criminal Law Amendment Act 1871 Employers and Workmen Act 1875 History of the British Labour Party History of the socialist movement in the United Kingdom Labour Party ( UK ) Labor history, deals with the scholarly historiography The Australian labour movement, including its history Unions List of unions in the United Kingdom Trade unions in the United Kingdom Amalgamated Society of Boilermakers, Shipwrights, Blacksmiths and Structural Workers ( ASBSBSW ) Amalgamated Textile Warehousemen 's Association 1894 -- 1986 Amalgamated Textile Workers ' Union, 1974 -- 1985 Association of Professional, Executive, Clerical and Computer Staff ( APEX ) Coopers ' Federation of Great Britain ( CFGB ) Furniture, Timber and Allied Trades Union ( FTAT ) GMB, 1889 -- present ; formerly named `` General, Municipal, Boilermakers and Allied Trade Union '' Municipal Employees Association to 1924 National Amalgamated Union of Labour ( NAUL ) to 1924 National Union of General and Municipal Workers ( GMWU ) 1924 -- National Union of Mineworkers National Union of Railwaymen National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers ( NUTGW ) Rubber, Plastic and Allied Workers ' Union Trades Union Congress United Textile Factory Workers ' Association, 1886 and 1974. Notes Jump up ^ Malcolm Chase, Chartism : A New History ( Manchester University Press, 2007 ) Jump up ^ Keith Laybourn, A History of British Trade Unionism c. 1770 -- 1990 ( 1992 ) pp 33 -- 34. Jump up ^ Roger Penn, Roger. `` Trade union organization and skill in the cotton and engineering industries in Britain, 1850 -- 1960. '' Social History 8 # 1 ( 1983 ) : 37 -- 55. Jump up ^ John Flanagan, `` ' A gigantic scheme of co-operation ' : The Miners ' and Seamen 's United Association in the North - East, 1851 -- 1854. '' Labour History Review 74 # 2 ( 2009 ) : 143 -- 159. Jump up ^ John Field, `` British historians and the concept of the labour aristocracy. '' Radical History Review 1978.19 ( 1978 ) : 61 -- 85. Jump up ^ Derek Matthews, `` 1889 and All That : New Views on the New Unionism. '' International Review of Social History 36 # 1 ( 1991 ) : 24 -- 58 Jump up ^ Keith Laybourn, A History of British Trade Unionism ( 1992 ) pp 72 -- 76 Jump up ^ A.E.P. Duffy, `` New Unionism in Britain, 1889 -- 1890 : A Reappraisal, '' Economic History Review ( 1961 ) 14 # 2 pp 306 -- 319 Jump up ^ Robin Miller Jacoby, `` Feminism and Class Consciousness in the British and American Women 's Trade Union Leagues, 1890 -- 1925. '' in Liberating Women 's History ed. Berenice Carroll ( University of Illinois Press, 1976 ) pp : 137 -- 60. Jump up ^ Gerry Holloway ( 2007 ). Women and Work in Britain since 1840. Routledge. p. 81ff. Jump up ^ Melanie Reynolds, `` ' A Man Who Wo n't Back a Woman is No Man at All '. The 1875 Heavy Woollen Dispute and the Narrative of Women 's Trade Unionism. '' Labour History Review 71 # 2 ( 2006 ) : 187 -- 198. Jump up ^ See, for instance, the 1899 Lyons vs. Wilkins judgement, which limited certain types of picketing Jump up ^ Martin Crick, The History of the Social - Democratic Federation Jump up ^ Vic Allen, The militancy of British miners ( 1981 ). Jump up ^ Joseph L. White, The Limits of Trade Union Militancy : The Lancashire Textile Workers, 1910 -- 1914 ( 1978 ). Jump up ^ Andrew Miles and Mike Savage, The remaking of the British working class, 1840 -- 1940 ( Routledge, 2013 ). pp 80 -- 81 Jump up ^ Matt Vaughan Wilson, `` The 1911 Waterfront Strikes in Glasgow : Trade Unions and Rank - and - File Militancy in the Labour Unrest of 1910 -- 1914. '' International Review of Social History 53 # 2 ( 2008 ) : 261 -- 292. Jump up ^ John N. Horne, Labour at war : France and Britain, 1914 -- 1918 ( 1991 ). Jump up ^ David Swift, `` Patriotic labour in the era of the great war '' ( PhD. Dissertation University of Central Lancashire, 2014 ) online Detailed bibliography on pp 220 -- 35. Jump up ^ F.M. Leventhal, ed. Twentieth - Century Britain : An Encyclopedia ( 1995 ) p 78 - 80. Jump up ^ Beckett ( 2007 ), p 369 Jump up ^ Gerry R. Rubin, `` Law, War and Economy : The Munitions Acts 1915 -- 17 and Corporatism in Context. '' Journal of Law and Society 11.3 ( 1984 ) : 317 -- 333. Jump up ^ Iain McLean, The Legend of Red Clydeside ( 1983 ) Jump up ^ B.R. Mitchell, Abstract of British Historical Statistics ( 1962 ) Jump up ^ Charles Loch Mowat, Britain between the wars : 1918 -- 1940 ( 1955 ) pp 284 -- 338. Jump up ^ Alastair Reid, and Steven Tolliday, `` The General Strike, 1926, '' Historical Journal ( 1977 ) 20 # 4 pp. 1001 -- 1012 in JSTOR Jump up ^ Martin Pugh, `` The General Strike, '' History Today ( 2006 ) 56 # 5 pp 40 -- 47 Jump up ^ Charles Loch Mowat, Britain between the wars : 1918 -- 1940 ( 1955 ) pp 579 -- 82 Jump up ^ Geert Van Goethem, `` Labor 's second front : the foreign policy of the American and British trade union movements during the second world war. '' Diplomatic History 34.4 ( 2010 ) : 663 -- 680. Jump up ^ Andrew Thorpe, `` Locking out the Communists : The Labour party and the Communist party, 1939 -- 46. '' Twentieth Century British History 25.2 ( 2014 ) : 221 -- 250. Jump up ^ Hue Beynon and Terry Austrin. `` The Performance of Power : Sam Watson a Miners ' Leader on Many Stages. '' Journal of Historical Sociology 28.4 ( 2015 ) : 458 -- 490. Jump up ^ Alan Bullock, The Life and Times of Ernest Bevin : Foreign secretary, 1945 -- 1951 ( 1983 ). Jump up ^ Richard Toye, `` From ' Consensus ' to ' Common Ground ' : The Rhetoric of the Postwar Settlement and its Collapse, '' Journal of Contemporary History ( 2013 ) 48 # 1 pp 3 -- 23. Jump up ^ Dennis Kavanagh, `` The Postwar Consensus, '' Twentieth Century British History ( 1992 ) 3 # 2 pp 175 -- 190. Jump up ^ Earl Aaron Reitan ( 2003 ). The Thatcher Revolution : Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair, and the Transformation of Modern Britain, 1979 -- 2001. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 25. Jump up ^ Kenneth O. Morgan, `` Gormley, Scargill and the Miners '' in Morgan, Labour people : leaders and lieutenants, Hardie to Kinnock ( 1987 ) pp 289 -- 300. Jump up ^ Robert Taylor, The TUC : From the General Strike to New Unionism ( 2000 ) p. 231 Jump up ^ Idesbald Goddeeris ( 2012 ). Solidarity with Solidarity : Western European Trade Unions and the Polish Crisis, 1980 -- 1982. pp. 145 -- 48. Jump up ^ Ben Pimlott and Chris Cook, eds., Trade Unions in British Politics : The First 250 Years ( 1991 ) pp 201 - 3, 290 - 92. Jump up ^ Neil J. Mitchell, `` Where traditional Tories fear to tread : Mrs Thatcher 's trade union policy. '' West European Politics 10 # 1 ( 1987 ) : 33 -- 45. Jump up ^ Brian Towers, `` Running the gauntlet : British trade unions under Thatcher, 1979 -- 1988. '' Industrial & Labor Relations Review 42 # 2 ( 1989 ) : 163 -- 188. Jump up ^ Francis Beckett and David Hencke, Marching to the fault line : The Miners ' Strike and the battle for industrial Britain. ( 2009 ). Jump up ^ John Moylan ( 7 September 2012 ). `` Union membership has halved since 1980 ''. BBC. Jump up ^ Andrew Charlwood, `` The anatomy of union membership decline in Great Britain 1980 -- 1998 '' ( PhD. Diss. The London School of Economics and Political Science ( LSE ), 2013 ), Bibliography pp 212 -- 22. online. Jump up ^ Bob Mason, and Peter Bain. `` The determinants of trade union membership in Britain : a survey of the literature. '' Industrial & labor relations review 46.2 ( 1993 ) : 332 -- 351, asks what caused the decline : environmental determinants ( such as the business cycle ) or `` interventionist '' studies, which emphasise union behaviour ( such as the involvement of full - time officials in recruiting ). Jump up ^ see website Jump up ^ see website Jump up ^ See website Further reading Further information : Trades Union Congress § Bibliography Aldcroft, D.H. and Oliver, M.J., eds. Trade Unions and the Economy, 1870 -- 2000. ( 2000 ). Allen, V.L. Power in Trade Unions : A Study of Their Organization in Great Britain ( 1954 ) online Bellamy, Joyce M. and John Saville, eds. Dictionary of Labour Biography ( 14 vol. 1977 -- 2010 ). Bullock, Alan. The Life & Times of Ernest Bevin : Volume One : Trade Union Leader 1881 -- 1940 ( 1960 ). Boston, S. Women Workers and the Trade Unions ( 1980 ). covers 1874 -- 1975. Brivati, B. and Heffernan, eds. The Labour Party : A Centenary History : 1900 -- 2000 ( 2000 ) Campbell, Alan. Scottish Miners, 1874 -- 1939. Vol. 1 : Industry, Work & Community ; The Scottish Miners, 1874 -- 1939. Vol. 2 : Trade Unions and Politics ( 2000 ). Campbell, A., Fishman, N., and McIlroy, J. eds. British Trade Unions and Industrial Politics : The Post-War Compromise 1945 -- 64 ( 1999 ). Charlesworth, Andrew, Gilbert, David, Randall, Adrian, Southall, Humphrey and Wrigley, Chris. An Atlas of Industrial Protest in Britain, 1750 -- 1990 ( 1996 ). Clegg, H.A. et al. A History of British Trade Unions Since 1889 ( 1964 ) ; A History of British Trade Unions Since 1889 : vol. 2 1911 -- 1933. ( 1985 ) ; A History of British Trade Unionism Since 1889, vol. 3 : 1934 -- 51 ( 1994 ), The major scholarly history ; highly detailed. Davies, A.J. To Build a New Jerusalem : Labour Movement from the 1890s to the 1990s ( 1996 ). Field, Geoffrey G. Blood, Sweat, and Toil : Remaking the British Working Class, 1939 -- 1945 ( 2011 ) DOI : 10.1093 / acprof : oso / 9780199604111.001. 0001 online Foote, Geoffrey. The Labour Party 's Political Thought : A History, Macmillan, 1997 ed. Hinton, James. Labour and Socialism : A History of the British Labour Movement, 1867 -- 1974 ( 1983 ). online Laybourn, Keith. A history of British trade unionism c. 1770 -- 1990 ( 1992 ). Lewenhak, Sheila. Women and trade unions : an outline history of women in the British trade union movement ( E. Benn, 1977 ). Minkin, Lewis. The Contentious Alliance : Trade Unions and the Labour Party ( 1991 ) 708 pp online Musson, A E. Trade Union and Social History ( 1974 ). Pelling, Henry. A history of British trade unionism ( 1987 ). Pimlott, Ben, and Chris Cook. Trade Unions in British Politics : The First 250 Years ( 2nd ed. 1991 ). Roberts, B C. The Trades Union Congress 1868 -- 1921 ( 1958 ). Rosen, Greg, ed. Dictionary of Labour Biography. Politicos Publishing, 2001, 665pp ; short biographies of Labour Party leaders. Taplin, E. The Dockers ' Union. A Study of the National Union of Dock Labourers, 1889 -- 1922 ( Leicester UP, 1986 ). Taylor, R. The TUC : From the General Strike to New Unionism ( 2000 ). excerpt Thorpe, Andrew. A History of the British Labour Party ( Palgrave Macmillan, 2008 ). Webb, Sidney and Beatrice Webb. The History of Trade Unionism ( 1894, new edition 1920 ) Outdated famous history ; online. Wrigley, Chris, ed. A History of British industrial relations, 1875 -- 1914 ( Univ of Massachusetts Press, 1982 ), Wide - ranging essays by scholars, including study case studies of coal mining, cotton textiles, transport, and the iron trade. Wrigley, Chris, ed. A History of British Industrial Relations 1914 -- 1939 ( 1993 ). Wrigley, Chris, ed. British Trade Unions, 1945 -- 1995 ( Manchester University Press, 1997 ) Wrigley, Chris. British Trade Unions since 1933 ( 2002 ) 115 pp online World wars Adams, Tony. `` Labour and the First World War : Economy, Politics and the Erosion of Local Peculiarity ?. '' Journal of Regional and Local Studies 10 ( 1990 ) : 23 -- 47. Braybon, G. Women Workers in the First World War ( Routledge, 2010 ). Brooke, Stephen. Labour 's war : the Labour party during the Second World War ( 1992 ). Burridge, Trevor D. British Labour and Hitler 's war ( Deutsch, 1976 ). Bush, J. Behind the Lines : East London Labour, 1914 -- 1919 ( Merlin Press, 1984 ). Calder, Angus. The people 's war : Britain 1939 -- 1945 ( 1969 ). Cline, C.A. Recruits to Labour : The British Labour Party, 1914 -- 1931 ( Syracuse University Press, 1963 ). Englander, David. `` Troops and Trade Unions, 1919 '', History Today 37 ( 1987 ) : 8 -- 13. Grieves, K. The Politics of Manpower, 1914 -- 18 ( Manchester UP, 1988 ). Holford, J. Reshaping Labour : Organisation, Work and Politics -- Edinburgh in the Great War and After ( Croom Helm, 1988 ). Horne, John N. Labour at war : France and Britain, 1914 -- 1918 ( 1991 ). Silbey, D. The British Working Class and Enthusiasm for War, 1914 -- 1916 ( Frank Cass, 2005 ). Summerfield, Penny. Women workers in the Second World War : production and patriarchy in conflict ( Routledge, 2013 ). Swift, David. `` Patriotic labour in the era of the great war '' ( PhD. Dissertation University of Central Lancashire, 2014 ) online Detailed bibliography on pp 220 -- 35. Historiography Callaghan, John, et al. eds., Interpreting the Labour Party : Approaches to Labour Politics and History ( 2003 ) online ; also online free ; 210pp Taylor, Antony. `` The Transnational Turn in British Labour History. '' Labour History Review 81.1 ( 2016 ) Zeitlin, Jonathan. `` From labour history to the history of industrial relations. '' Economic History Review 40.2 ( 1987 ) : 159 -- 184. in JSTOR Trade unions in Europe Sovereign states Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom States with limited recognition Abkhazia Artsakh Northern Cyprus South Ossetia Transnistria Economy of the United Kingdom Companies Co-operatives Employee - owned companies FTSE 100 Index FTSE 250 Index FTSE Fledgling Index FTSE SmallCap Index Government - owned companies Currency, governance, regulation Bank of England Governor of the Bank of England Budget Company law Competition and Markets Authority Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Financial Conduct Authority Gilts HM Revenue and Customs HM Treasury Chancellor of the Exchequer Debt Management Office Monetary Policy Committee Office for Budget Responsibility Pound sterling Banknotes Coinage Taxation UK Statistics Authority UK Trade & Investment History Chronological 1659 -- 1849 Navigation Acts Agricultural Revolution Industrial Revolution Financial Revolution Panic of 1796 -- 97 1815 -- 46 Corn Laws New Imperialism 1830s -- 1945 Second Industrial Revolution 1860s -- 1914 1873 -- 79 Long Depression 1926 general strike 1929 -- 39 Great Depression 1948 -- 52 Marshall Plan 1974 Three - Day Week 1979 Winter of Discontent 1986 Big Bang 1992 Black Wednesday Late - 2000s recession 2008 bank rescue package 2009 bank rescue package Recurrent Economic geography Free trade Gold standard Recessions and recoveries National champions policy Economic liberalism Privatisation Nationalisation Nations, regions, cities England Atlantic Gateway Birmingham Big City Plan Bristol Cornwall Croydon Croydon Vision 2020 Devon Expansion plans for Milton Keynes Fishing Leeds List of counties by GVA Liverpool London East London Tech City London Plan M4 corridor M11 Corridor Manchester Reading Sheffield Silicon Fen Thames Gateway Tourism Transport N. Ireland Belfast Transport Scotland Aberdeen Agriculture Edinburgh Industrialisation Fishing Oil and gas Renewable energy Silicon Glen Tourism Transport Whisky Wales Cardiff ( Cardiff Bay ) Swansea Tourism Transport People and labour Billionaires Businesspeople Demography Income Poverty Labour law Equal opportunities Minimum wage Working Time Directive Pensions Trades unions Trades Union Congress Unemployment Sectors Resource and production Energy / Renewable energy Biodiesel Coal Geothermal Fracking Hydroelectricity Marine North Sea oil Solar Wind Food Agriculture Cider Wine Beer Fishing English Scottish Materials Forestry Mining Financial services Baltic Exchange Banking List of banks List of UK building societies Canary Wharf The City Royal Albert Dock ( future ) Euronext. liffe Glasgow International Financial Services District Insurance Lloyd 's of London LCH London Interbank Offered Rate London Metal Exchange London Platinum and Palladium Market London Stock Exchange Alternative Investment Market Other Education Entertainment & Media Cinema Gambling Newspapers Radio Television Theatre Healthcare Legal services Manufacturing Aerospace Automotive Pharmaceuticals Exports Property Architecture Construction Housing Real estate Science and technology Internet Telecommunications Supermarkets Tourism Transport Aviation Rail Inter-city High - speed Trade and business organisations Business organisations British Bankers ' Association British Chambers of Commerce Confederation of British Industry Co-operatives UK EEF Federation of Small Businesses Industry trade groups Institute of Directors UK Payments Administration Commons Jump up ^ see history of the project Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_trade_unions_in_the_United_Kingdom&oldid=853748607 '' Categories : Trade unions in the United Kingdom United Kingdom labour law Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from July 2016 EngvarB from September 2016 Use dmy dates from July 2016 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 6 August 2018, at 19 : 34 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: when was the first trade union formed in the uk
Answer: 1824