England was among the first countries to industrialize during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Although the Victorian era is attributed to significant economic growth and labor law reforms, it was also during the same period that working conditions were at their worst. The industrial revolution was characterized by a work environment devoid of safety (Halsal, 1997). Fires and accidents were common, and workers were often injured while at work. Employers were also not liable for any harm that occurred to their employees since there were no regulations on the same. The invention of new machinery, without defined rules and no training on their handling, made workplaces even more dangerous.
Factory workers were also prone to being fired without official communication. Factory owners would fire and hire workers as they wished, due to the absence of labor unions. The population was rapidly increasing, which forced people to look for jobs in factories, as farming was no longer sufficient to feed their families (Halsal, 1997). Landowners also enclosed land, which left little for farming for former slaves. Most of the former slaves lived in informal and crowded settlements where poverty was rampant, thus were willing to take any job that would help them earn a living.
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The then machines were not difficult to operate, so women and children were preferred over men as they accepted half the pay. The practice explains why child labor was a common vice during the industrial revolution. According to the Victorian Website (2019), children were also preferred since they could fit into smaller spaces, and were often sent to fix machines parts in spaces where adults could not fit. Textile mills hired children especially orphans to run the machinery at a meager cost. Working conditions were unfriendly for women and children, as mentioned in the video The Children Who Built Victorian Britain (2014), which accounted for the numerous illness cases in workplaces, especially in mines. Factories were dark, full of smoke and dirty since they relied on sunlight and machines were ran on steam. Many workers ended up suffering from lung diseases and eye problems. Protective gear was also not used, which increased the severity of accidents. Failure to meet the factory owner’s requirements was also punishable by physical violence. Men were also subjected to heavy loads and long hours of work without provision of food, with no paid holidays or leave days. The men who still had families in the rural areas were not allowed to go home during harvest to help their families, lest they lost their jobs. In some cases if an employee fell sick for more than three days in a week, they were likely to be replaced without notice. Women also suffered pelvic bone deformation due to pulling carts, which resulted in increased deaths during childbirth.
Labor unions were also prohibited by the Combination Acts of the Pitt’s government. Due to the continuing French wars, all social and political amalgamations were banned as a way of eliminating economic and legal interference (The Victorian Website, 2019). The then government believed that these unions, including labor unions for workers, were an avenue through which citizens received incitement against the government. The ban diminished the collective bargaining power of British workers. The proletariats were subjected to frequent injustice since there was no body to represent them in court against their employers.
Reforms by the British Government
The dominant ideology of the Industrial Revolution was centered on Marxism and utopian socialism. Utopian socialism believed that besides business owners wanting to get the best, it was not supposed to be at the expense of their employees' welfare. Workers were supposed to be compensated in equal measure of what they profited the factory owner. Opposed to laissez-faire capitalism, which suggested that the government should have minimal control over business owners, socialism required the government to create better working conditions for workers. Socialism also advocated for cooperation among workers, which was indirectly advocating for labor unions.
In 1833, the British government passed laws that sought to improve the working conditions of workers, especially children. It was agreed that children under the age of nine were not allowed to work in factories. Employers were therefore required to have age certificates for their children workers. Children between the age of nine and thirteen years were also not allowed to work for more than nine hours a day, and those between thirteen and eighteen would only work for less than thirteen hours. All children were also supposed to have two hours of schooling daily (The Victorian Website, 2019). The mistreatment could not stop immediately the law was passed, therefore to ensure these amendments were implemented, four overseers were appointed in each factory.
The Mine Act of 1842 was introduced to prohibit women and children from working in mines. The working conditions in mines were horrible, with most people suffering from lung diseases due to dust. The danger of injury due to falling stones or collapsed mines was also high since dynamites were used to create mines. Women were prohibited from working in mines since the pulling of coal carts deformed their pelvic bones (Halsal, 1997). They could work in factories, but not for more than ten hours. The pay for women was also raised to match the number of hours they worked.
The government also amended the Combination Law and allowed workers to join labor unions. Labor unions gave them a bigger bargaining power over their employees, who had been enriched by laissez-faire capitalism. Laissez-faire capitalism had resulted in the exploitation of workers by the wealthy since the government had little intervention in their operations (The Victorian Website, 2019). During the period that it was practiced, workers suffered in the hands of the rich, often not being paid. The economy of Britain had risen significantly, but at the expense of social welfare. Families were unhappy as fathers worked long hours and had little time with children. The government allowed labor unions that advocated for less working hours, better pay and improved working conditions. In the coal mines that were once dark and workers were required to buy their candles to light the mines, lighting was installed as demanded by labor unions. Workers were also entitled to paid leave days and holidays. Although it came much later, workers became entitled to medical cover, whether injured when on official duty or not.
Conclusion
The industrial revolution in England was a period of change and growth but accompanied with challenges. As England was rising to become an economic giant, its citizens were faced with social welfare challenges. The population was rapidly increasing, yet land was being less productive. They, therefore, sort employment in factories and mines, where working conditions were not good, but had to earn a living. Amid capitalism, residents were forced to work in unsatisfying conditions for the wealthy, until the government intervened. Children and women were banned from working for more than ten hours in factories, and not working in mines completely due to the danger they faced. The government’s intervention balanced between economic gain for factory owners and the welfare of workers. Workers gained a bigger bargaining capacity, which significantly improved their welfare. The government also had better control over business taxes and law compliance.
References
Halsall, P. (1997). Modern history sourcebook. Fordham University, http://www. Fordham. Edu/Halsall/mod/1835ure.
Mckeown T. (2014). The Children Who Built Victorian Britain. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6ByG7q74qg
The Victorian Website. (2019). The Life of the Industrial Worker in Early Nineteenth-Century England . Retrieved from http://www.victorianweb.org/history/workers1.html
