What was Annie Besant's role in the Matchgirls strike?
The workers refused, which led to an unfair dismissal of one match girl, which in turn led to the entire workforce (1400 women) striking for the entire day of 5 July 1888. Tenacious in her belief in the match girls' cause, Besant helped the women set up a union and a social centre.22 Feb 2018
What is a Victorian match girl?
Match girls, during Victorian times, were little girls and adolescents who worked in match factories.
What was the job duty of a match girl?
Matchgirls worked in match factories. One of their jobs was to dip the tips of wooden matches into a chemical called phosphorous. Most of the workers in match factories were women and many of them were young girls between the age of 13 and 16. They became known by the nickname "matchgirls."
What was the matchstick girls strike?
The Match Girls' Strike was industrial action taken up by the workers of the Bryant and May factory against the dangerous and unrelenting demands which endangered their health with very little remuneration.19 Apr 2021
What did the match girls strike do?
The match girl strike had provided an impetus for other working class labour activists to set up unskilled worker unions in a wave that became known as “New Unionism”. The 1888 match girl strike had paved the way for important changes in the industrial setting but more still needed to be done.19 Apr 2021
What were the outcomes of the strike at the match factory?
The strike finally ended after the workers accepted a number of concessions offered by the company. These concessions included the abolition of the system of fining workers for being late, deductions from wages to cover cost of paste and brushes and the recognition of the Union of Women Match Makers by management.21 Mar 2018
What was the East End match strike?
In the summer of 1888, fourteen hundred workers, mostly young women and girls, walked out of an East End match factory and into the history books. Before their strike, Bryant & May's matchwomen were dismissed as a “rough set of girls” and the “lowest strata of society”.27 Oct 2021