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Trade Unions - The Dublin Lockout 1913 - Coggle Diagram
Trade Unions - The Dublin Lockout 1913
Background
Started mid-morning on Tuesday the 26th of August when 200 tram drivers and conductors eft their vehicles
Workers did't return to work until the end of January 1914
Workers at the Jacob's biscuit factory didn't go back until mid-March 1914
Lost 1.7 million working days and involved over 20,000 trade unionists and raised £150,000 in support
William Martin Murphy
Pitted Larkin against the head of the Employer's Federation (Murphy)
He made a fortune in Ireland and overseas through railway construction
1900 he owned the Irish Independent and the Imperial Hotel and was the owner of the Dublin United Tramway Compnay
Represented Dublin and Irish Party MP between 1886 and 1892
Never faced a strike before as he treated his workers reasonably well and had a reputation as a progressive and moderate employee and did private acts of kindness
However, was harsh and ruthless when it came to trade unions
The beginning of the dispute
Larkin tried to expand the ITGWU into the business empire of Murphy including the Dublin United Tramway Company (DUTC) which Murphy resisted
When Murphy found out about workers in the ITWGU he dismissed half of the Irish Independent workers and 200 from the Tramway company on the 21st August 1913
The strike began on Tuesday the 26th of August when tram drivers abandoned their vehicles at the Dublin Horse Show
Larkin openly supported at a meeting in Beresford Place and then the next day was arrested for sedition and conspiracy and was let out bail
James Connolly arrested on the 31st of July and a warrant was issued for Larkin
Murphy convened a general meeting where they decided for the arrest of clashes between the tough and overwrought
Clashes led to the deaths of the Transport union member James Nolan and John Byre
Bloody Sunday 31st August 1913
Larkin snuck into the Imperial Hotel first floor balcony and addressed the crowd below
Led to over 500 in hospital and 2 dead
As a result the British Labour party leader Keir Hardie travelled to Dublin to speak with Irish trade union leaders
Many workers in Britain were appalled by the events
Larkins appearance was the signal for attempted arrest by the enraged police
Lockout
4th of September Murphy and 400 other employers announced that workers have to sign a document which required them to end their membership of the ITGWU
Most union members refused to sign the pledge and were locked out
20,000 workers had been locked out by the end of September 1913
It caused financial hardship on the employees and put pressure on union funds
Employers imported blackleg (scab labour) to replace striking workers from Ireland and the UK
Black leg labour caused industrial dispute as the ITGWU formed picket lines to prevent other workers from entering the workplace
There was violent confrontations between workers and scabs with them trying to cross picket line
16 year old Alice Brady was shot in a scuffle
Support for union members and their families from Britain
British working class raised donations for the organisation which was providing food aid to Dublin 'Herald Leagues'
Food shipped was shipped to Dublin 'The Hare' with 60,000 boxes of food in September 1913
Food ships were named 'Bread bullets to beat the Bosses' by the Daily Herald newspaper
In December 1913 alone aid worth £21,000 arrived in Dublin to sustain the resistance
The ITGWU was receiving financial donations eg the Transport union was paying 10 shillings a week to 10,000 dismissed workers
Larkin raised money from British supporters eg carpenters £1,500 a week and the Miners' Federation £1,000 a week
Irish were very moved as it was the only reason lockout was able to go on for so long
Attempts to resolve the dispute: Askwith Commission, 29th Sept - 8th Oct
Chaired by Sir George Askwith
It condemned the employers from making workers sign a pledge
Wanted employers to recognise the ITGWU
Wanted the ITGWU to end sympathetic strikes
Wanted to establish a conciliation board to resolve further disputes
Accepted y the ITGWU but declined by the employers
Employers didn't want to ensure all workers to be reinstated as they didn't want to fire the blacklegs
The employers rejection demonstrated their intent to destroy Larkin and violent unionism
By the beginning of October there was no end in sight as support for Larkin was growing