Labour movement

Quick Facts: Who was Labour movement?

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Labour movement

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A global socio-political force organizing workers for economic and political rights.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

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.

Career & Major Achievements

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.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

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. The labour movement has its origins in Europe during the Industrial Revolution of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when agricultural and cottage industry jobs were replaced as mechanization and industrialization moved employment to more industrial areas like factory towns, causing an influx of low-skilled labour and decline in living standards for workers in urban areas. Prior to the industrial revolution, economies in Europe were dominated by the guild system, each of which were expected to protect the interests of its owners, labourers, and consumers through the regulation of standard business practices.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Labour movement

True or False: “The labour movement's primary focus was always on establishing universal suffrage immediately after the Industrial Revolution began.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): Early goals were more immediate and included the right to unionize, safe working conditions, and the 40-hour week, with voting rights being a later expansion.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Labour movement