Labour Problems

1
Labour Problems

• war-time industries slowing down
• Women pressured to stay at home
• so returning soldiers could have jobs
• Jobs were hard to find
• Many veterans of the war flooded the job market.
• Some industries had become very wealthy because
  of the war
• Now that the demand for production had
  decreased, so did the need for people to work

2
Inflation

• Rising costs of goods and services and the cost
  of living
• During the war, prices had increased greatly.
• Wages had also gone up but had not kept pace with
  rising prices.
• Between 1914 and 1919, the cost of living had
  doubled.

3
Unions and Strikes

• In 1919
• Low employment
• No unemployment insurance (EI)
• No workers compensation
• No pensions
• Many poor working conditions
• Laws favoured the employers

4

• Thousands joined unions to fight for workers
  rights
• Many employers did not take these unions
  seriously
• In many cases the only way for workers to make
  their demands heard was to go on strike.
• Three easy ways out for employers.
• 1) injunction
• 2) strikebreakers (scabs)
• 3) strikers would be replaced
  
• and lose their jobs

5
Winnipeg General Strike

• Worker unrest came to a head on May 1st, 1919
• The Building and Metal Trades Council (union)
  voted to go on strike.
• May 15th, 30,000 other workers in the city walked
  off of their jobs.
• Many sympathy strikes occurred in major cities in
  Canada.
• The strike spread from industry to industry in
  Winnipeg and the city came to a stand-still. Even
  essential service workers refused to go to their
  jobs.

6

• Two hostile camps (Workers vs. Owners)
• The owners accused the workers of trying to start
  a revolution and the Canadian Govt became
  alarmed.
• The govt made changes to the Criminal Code and
  announced stiff penalties for those suspected of
  trying to start a revolution.
• On June 21st (Bloody Saturday) a protest march of
  striking workers began and became violent. The
  Mounties tried to restore orderin the endone
  man had been killed and 30 others injured.
• Five days later, the striking unions ordered the
  workers back to their jobthe strike was over.

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8
Failure or Not?

• To many workersyes
• 1) not successful
• 2) many lost their jobs
• 3) branded as troublemakers
• 4) forced to sign yellow-dog contracts
• 5) a lot of bitterness and resentment
• 6) new laws made to prevent strikes
• were passed

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• For the future of labournot a failure
• 1) appreciation of workers value increased
• 2) drew attention to social problems
• 3) drew attention to economic problems
• 4) Commission appointed to investigate
• 5) labour leaders became involved in
• politics.
• 6) Many strike leaders were voted into
• government and change began.

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• www.civilization.ca/hist/labour/
• en.wikipedia.org
• (search for Winnipeg General Strike)
• http//www.histori.ca/peace/