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History1.1) Over a Century of ServiceIn 1991, Usdaw celebrated a 'Century of Service' to those workers in shops, factories, offices, warehouses and other areas where the Union has representative and negotiating responsibilities. This page summarises our proud history of representing these workers. By clicking on each heading you can find out more about each period. 1.2) Setting the Scene The 1880s and 1890s were a period of rapid economic and social change in Great Britain. 1.3) The Birth of a Union In 1891 retailing employed 750,000 workers, many of them ruthlessly exploited. Brutally long working hours for very low pay was the norm with two thirds of the workforce also subjected to the 'living-in' system. 1.4) The 1890s: Usdaw in the Making The reasons given by shopkeepers for the dismissal of their assistants, or by assistants for giving notice, were often curious; sometimes ludicrous or grimly humorous. 1.5) The Fight Against 'Living-In' June 1901 saw a demonstration against 'living-in' which caused a major sensation and started the campaign against living in. 1.6) The Grim Reality of 'Living-In' In 1891, 450,000 shop assistants 'lived-in' and the employer paid them partly in cash and partly by providing board and lodging. 1.7) The Lighter Side of 'Living-In' It was no laughing matter to be 'living-in'. But the words of some employers might raise a wry smile. 1.8) The Battle for Early Closing In addition to low pay and 'living-in', the issue of greatest concern to shop assistants was that of shop opening hours. Unregulated competition drove traders to open their shops for as many hours as possible. 1.9) A Period of Unrest The period running up to the First World War was one of unparalleled industrial unrest in Britain. 2.1) World War I The First World War had a profound effect on the retail industry and its workers. 2.2) The Post War Boom After the war the Trade Union Movement grew rapidly. 2.3) The Collapse of the Post War Boom The recession of 1921 brought mass unemployment and unleashed a shop owners' counter attack. 2.4) The Decade of Depression The onset in 1930 of the severest recession the world had ever known made 20 per cent of Britain's workers unemployed. 2.5) World War II During the Second World War the Union threw its weight behind Churchill's Coalition Government, co-operating to secure efficient distribution of supplies and grappling with the problems of rationing. 2.6) Backing the Troops and Braving the Blitz Cities were being bombed on a far greater scale than in the First World War - many shops were destroyed and many lives were lost. 2.7) Usdaw - One Union for the Distributive Trades On 1st January 1947 the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers was launched after members of NAUSAW&C and NUDAW voted to amalgamate. 2.8) The Self-Service Revolution The self-service revolution reached Britain in the forties. 2.9) Shopping Hours in Focus Usdaw and its predecessors have campaigned hard and long to cut the hours of shop assistants and prevent their exploitation. 3.1) The 1950s and '60s In the early 1960s Usdaw's objectives were to press for an adequate wage, a five-day 40-hour working week and equal pay for men and women. 3.2) The 1970s The 1970s was a period of rapid advance in both recruitment and the establishment of stronger negotiating and bargaining relationships with a number of major employers. 3.3) The Early Eighties In the 1980s we witnessed a Government hell-bent on destroying Usdaw and the rest of the Trade Union Movement. 3.4) The Usdaw Family Tree How Usdaw developed into the Union it is today. |
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