Labour movement

The labour movement is the organized effort of working people to protect their shared interests. These interests are both economic, like wages, and political, like the right to vote. The movement includes trade unions, which are groups of workers who act together. It also includes political parties that represent workers in government. Some groups also follow the cooperative movement. This seeks to replace traditional ownership with worker or consumer cooperatives. This concept is often called economic democracy. The movement is frequently viewed as a form of class conflict between workers and owners.

Trade unions use several specific methods to achieve their goals. One common method is collective bargaining, where workers negotiate as a group with their employers. They may also use sectoral bargaining, which involves negotiating for an entire industry at once. When these negotiations fail, workers may engage in strike action. A strike is when workers stop working to pressure an employer. In some countries, workers participate in co-determination. This system gives worker representatives seats on a company's board of directors. This allows them to help make important decisions for the business.

Political parties within the movement campaign for broader social changes. These parties focus on labour rights, social security, and the welfare state. Their names often change depending on the country. In English-speaking nations, they are usually called labour parties. In Germanic or Slavic countries, they are often social democratic parties. In Romance-speaking countries, they are frequently called socialist parties. These parties work to provide public services like health care, education, and social housing. They also advocate for fair wealth and income distribution.

Historically, the movement grew as a response to the Industrial Revolution. This period began in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Before this, much of Europe used the guild system from the Middle Ages. Guilds regulated wages, prices, and business standards to protect everyone. However, the guild system became unequal and began to fail during the 16th and 17th centuries. As mechanization moved jobs to factory towns, many workers faced lower wages. This shift caused a decline in living standards for people in urban areas. This economic pressure forced workers to find new ways to organize.

In the United Kingdom, the movement's modern era began roughly between 1760 and 1830. Early trade unions were small and limited to specific regions or jobs. For example, wool workers in the West of England and framework knitters in the Midlands were among the first to organize. In 1751, wool-combers in Leicestershire formed a union that even provided aid to members who were out of work. Some workers used small craft clubs, such as hatters in London or shipwrights in Liverpool, to organize. Others used "friendly societies" as a way to hide their union activities from the law.

Government opposition to the movement was often very strong. In 1792, the London Corresponding Society was founded to focus on working-class politics. Its membership grew so fast that it may have had 3,000 chapters by the end of that year. In response, the government used political repression. The Two Acts of 1795 restricted public speech and gatherings to 50 people or fewer. Later, the 1799 Combination Act made forming unions illegal. Despite these laws, workers continued to organize illegally throughout the 19th century.

Resistance also took different forms, such as the Luddite movement. In 1811, workers in Nottinghamshire began sabotaging and destroying textile machinery. They did this because their living standards were falling due to industrial changes. Other radical groups, like the Society of Spencean Philanthropists formed in 1812, advocated for different social structures. Over time, the movement's early goals were met in many advanced economies. These included the right to vote, the 40-hour work week, and safer working conditions. Today, the movement remains connected to broader ideas about how society and economies should be managed.