By Tim Lambert
Trade unions originated in Britain in the late 18th century. As the country underwent the Industrial Revolution, working men began to unite to press for better wages and conditions. However, for decades, trade unions had to fight for their rights. The British upper class was alarmed by the French Revolution, and in 1798 and 1799, parliament passed the Combination Acts. These made it illegal for workers to combine to press for higher wages or shorter hours. They made trade unions and strikes illegal. The acts were repealed in 1824.
However, in 1825, there was a wave of strikes. In 1825, in response, the government passed the Combinations of Workmen Act. It allowed men to combine to negotiate wages and hours of work, but it made strikes illegal.
In 1834, reformer Robert Owen formed the Grand National Consolidated Trades Union. It was an attempt to unite all working men into one union, instead of unions of a single trade. However, it faced fierce opposition from employers, and it soon fell apart.
In 1834, a group of farm labourers from Tolpuddle in Dorset, angry at being paid pitifully low wages, formed a union and took an oath of secrecy, not to reveal the union’s secrets to anyone. While it was not illegal to form unions, six men were prosecuted under an old law that made swearing oaths illegal. The men were sentenced to be transported to Australia for seven years. However, the case caused a public outcry. The Tolpuddle Martyrs were allowed to return to England in 1838.
In 1838, the Chartist movement was formed. The Chartists demanded that every man should be allowed to vote. During the 1840s, working-class discontent was channelled into political activism rather than trade unionism. However, Chartism collapsed in 1848.
In the 1850s and 1860s, many skilled workers formed unions called the New Model Aims. They were moderate in their aims and sought to negotiate with employers. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) was founded in 1868. In Britain, trade unions were fully legalised by the Trades Union Act of 1871, which protected their right to strike.
The matchstick girls’ strike took place in 1888. Girls who worked in the Bryant and May match factory were paid very low wages and were fined for being late, talking, and going to the toilet. They went on strike, and their employers were forced to improve pay and conditions. In 1889, the London dockers went on strike and forced the employers to pay them sixpence an hour and give them a minimum number of hours of work a day.
However, British trade unions suffered a setback with the Taff Vale case of 1901. The Taff Vale Railway Company took legal action against a union. Judges ruled that employers could sue trade unions for damages caused by strikes. That effectively removed the right to strike. In 1906, the Liberal government passed a law giving trade unions immunity from being sued for losses caused by strikes.
Trade unions played a major role in funding the new Labour Party. In 1909. In the Osborne Judgement, judges ruled that it was unlawful for trade unions to give money from their funds to political parties. In 1913, the government passed a law making it legal, but it did allow members of trade unions to opt out of paying fees that would go to such donations.
In Britain, trade union membership grew in the years 1910-1914, and it was a time of labour unrest. Trade union membership also grew rapidly during the First World War, 1914-1918. The unions strongly supported the war effort.
The general strike took place in 1926. Employers planned to reduce the wages paid to coal miners. The TUC (Trades Union Congress) called a general strike to support the miners. However, the general strike lasted only 9 days. In 1927, the government passed a law making sympathy strikes and mass picketing illegal. The law was repealed in 1946.
Strikes were banned in Britain during the Second World War. Nevertheless, there were strikes in many industries.
Trade unions grew more powerful after 1945. By the 1970s, they were very powerful. By 1970, their membership had almost doubled. Nearly half the workforce belonged to a union. In the winter of 1972, the coal miners went on strike, and the government was forced to give in to their demands. They went on strike again in the winter of 1974. This time, Prime Minister Heath was determined not to back down, and he called an election in February 1974 on the issue of ‘who governs the country?’ However, Heath lost the election
In March 1984, the coal miners went on strike again. However, this time the government was prepared. For years, they had been stockpiling coal. Also, the leadership of the National Union of Miners did not hold a national ballot. Without one, the members were not obliged to strike. Some of them refused to do so. Some mines continued to supply coal. The country was able to carry on despite the coal strike.
In September 1984, the High Court declared the miners’ strike was unlawful since no national ballot had been held. That meant that striking miners could not claim state benefits for themselves (though they could for dependents), making their lives very difficult. Eventually, the strike ended in defeat.
In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, trade union membership fell sharply due to economic change. The number of manual workers fell, while the number of people working in service industries rose. People in service industries were less likely to join trade unions. Yet trade unions remain important in the UK.
Last revised 2026