WORKING CONDITIONS

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WORKING CONDITIONS
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What were the effects of working in a textile
factory?
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Working conditions were poor.

• Early factories were often dangerous, unhealthy
  and miserable places.
• The whole system was new and untried.
• Cotton manufacture required high temperatures to
  prevent the thread snapping.
• The steam engines also made factories hot.
• Dangerous machinery was not fenced off.
• There were no safety regulations.

http//www.nettlesworth.durham.sch.uk/time/victori
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Going out to work

• It meant
• For factory owners
• finding ways of organizing large numbers of
  people
• and making a profit.
• For employees
• keeping to time
• going out to work every weekday
• splitting up the family for the first time.

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• Who were the workers?

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Who were the workers?
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Who were the workers?

• Men got higher wages.
• Women got lower wages.
• Children
• got lower wages
• were employed in the factories from a very early
  age.
• could crawl under machines, without having to
  turn them off.

http//www.nettlesworth.durham.sch.uk/time/victori
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Who were the workers?

• Women and children
• could do most of the work since little muscle
  power was needed.
• were employed because they were cheaper.

http//www.nettlesworth.durham.sch.uk/time/victori
an/scavenger2.jpg
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New jobs

• Overseers
• were often experienced workers, who supervised
  other workmen.
• were employed to check that work was being done
  properly.
• were usually paid on the basis of how much was
  produced by the workers of which they were in
  charge.

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New jobs

• Scavengers
• were children who picked up waste cotton or wool
  under the machines while these ones were working.
  
• This job was very dangerous.
• Piecers
• were children who had to lean over the
  spinning-machine to repair the broken threads.

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Fines

• Many factories had strict rules so punishments
  were very harsh.
• Fines were common.
• The threat of dismissal was real.
• Children and adults were beaten
• for making mistakes
• or falling asleep.
• Corporal punishment was often used by the
  overseers to encourage better work.

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A list of fines in a Manchester factory, 1840

• NOTICE
• List of Fines
• For opening a window 1l
• For being dirty at work 1l
• For leaving an oil can out of place 1l
• For being five minutes after the bell 1l
• For having waste on the spindles 1l
• For whistling at work 1l
• 1l ( one shilling)

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Perspective of people at the time

• Workers coming into factories from agricultural
  work were used to working very long hours in
  difficult conditions.
• They were also used to their children working.
• In many families the childrens wages were vital
  to life.
• But agricultural workers were not used to working
  to the clock. Being five minutes late
• in a field meant nothing,
• in a factory cost the employer money in wasted
  steam.

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Improvements came only after many working people
had experienced years of hardship and distress.
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Bibliography

• Text adapted from
• HAMER, Rachel Life and Work in 19th Century
  Britain, Depth Studies, Heinemann History, 1995,
  pages 6-7
• KELLY, Nigel, REES, Rosemary SHULTER, Jane
  Britain 1750-1900, Living through History, page
  43
• SMITH, Nigel The Industrial Revolution, Serie
  Events and Outcomes, Evans, 2002, page 39
• http//www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Textiles.htm
• Photos taken from internet
• http//www.nettlesworth.durham.sch.uk/time/victori
  an/pollute.jpg
• http//www.uen.org/utahlink/tours/admin/tour/15131
  /15131Factory.gif
• http//www.nettlesworth.durham.sch.uk/time/victori
  an/scavenger2.jpg
• http//www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/IRscavener1.J
  PG

Maria del Roser Pujadas Jubany
Llicència C 2006-2007