英國工會運動的發展—倫敦火柴女工罷工與其對新工會主義的影響(1888)

The Development of Trade Unionism in England-The London Matchgirls' Strike in 1888 and its Impact on New Unionism

王文霞(Wen-Hsia Wang)

《成大西洋史集刊》 10期 (2002/06) Pp. 255-286

https://doi.org/10.7077/JWH.200206.0255

摘要

新工會主義是英國的工會運動發展到1880年代末期與1890年初期出現的一種轉變。工會是英國民間工人自行組織的互助團體，目的在維持與改進工人的工作與生活。工會組織原以手藝工人爲主，到1880年代時受到社會主義主張的社會資源應由社會全體共有觀念的影響，工會主義轉變爲主張政府應積極干涉社會經濟活動，保障社會的弱勢工人。1888年年倫敦百瑞梅火柴女工大罷工新工會主義出現的轉捩點，此罷工事件不但是英國首次女工發起的罷工，也首開無技術勞工罷工成功，即碧翠絲韋布(Beatrice Webb)所謂‘弱勝強敗’的先例，鼓勵弱勢團體爭取自己的生存權。它在影響1889年的倫敦碼頭工人罷工成功與日後罷工風潮的出現。倫敦火柴工人們經由團結組織，以罷工方式迫使資本家雇主讓步，此外，他們也把工人的問題公開於社會，爭取大家的同情與支持，成功的運用社會大家的正義感與道德壓力，人微言輕對搞資本家的力量。她們的勝利影響工會發展出新工會主義，工會除了接受社會主義理論之外，也廣泛的吸收各種待業與有技術，半技術或無技術等的勞工入會，擴大工會組織。有團結群衆的力量，爭取勞工的權益，以量多導致質變的原理來改變社會底層工人在工業關係中的弱勢地位。新工會主義的出現不僅爲英國工會運動開擴新的發展空間，它與議會政治的結合也進一步促進英國民主政治的發展。

關鍵字

工會運動 ； 新工會主義 ； 社會主義 ； 火柴工業 ； 倫敦火柴女工罷工 ； 倫敦碼頭工人罷工 ； 安妮比森 ； 赫伯巴羅

並列摘要

A new tendency of British trade union movement-New Unionism turned out in the end of 1880s and the beginning of the 1890s after the unexpected success of the Byrant and May Match Girls' Strike in London in 1888 that became the turning point in the history of trades union movement in England. The success of the Byrant and May Match Girls' Strike signified not only the first successful strike launched by women workers in Britain but also the weak instead of the strong won the battle between capitalists and workers 'because of their weakness by means of the intervention of the public' said by Beatrice Webb.
The success of the Match Girls' Strike in London set up a new model for unskilled workers encouraging the Dockers Strike in London in 1889 as well as the spreading wave of strike in late nineteenth-century British society. In order to strengthen their power, workers including male, female, skilled, unskilled workers, even casual workers, were organized into unions after 1888. To join a union means to gather individuals that would help to bargain with employers. To disclose factory evils could raise the intervention of social justice as well as social pressure from the public on factory owners. These accomplishments completed by unskilled workers influenced the coming out of New Unionism that not only expanded the development of the trade union movement, but also significantly contributed to the growth of democracy in England while workers were participating into the parliamentary politics.

並列關鍵字

Trade Union Movement ； New Unionism ； Socialism ； Anne Besant ； Herbert Burrows ； Match Industries ； the Match Girls' Strike ； the London Dockers' Strike