Celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Matchwomen's victory, and the beginning of the modern labour movement.
6th July 2013. Bishopsgate Institute, London. Admission free. Children and family friendly.
George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, Jack the Ripper, prostitution, ‘white slavery’, big hats…the matchwomen’s story has it all.
What was usually left out was the matchwomen themselves. The history books, if they mentioned the women’s 1888 strike at all, usually dismissed it in a few lines as short, unimportant, and not even organised by them.
In fact, the women changed British history forever.
A combination of nosiness and luck led me to some amazing discoveries about the wild and wonderful women of Bryant & May. The fact that the true story was buried for so long tells us a lot about how history viewed- and perhaps views- working-class women.
These were young, very poor East End women and girls, which was enough to put them beyond the pale in their day. Worse, they were largely of Irish heritage at a time when Irish migrants were regarded by some as ‘not human’.
Society demanded women like this ‘know their place’, and certainly not defy their employers, no matter how exploitative.
Thank goodness the matchwomen were not prone to doing what they were told, because their victory against all the odds began the modern trade union movement.
This International Women’s Day we have a woman at the helm of the TUC for the first time- but still a long way to go.
The matchwomen have a lot to teach us today about overcoming prejudice, true solidarity and taking no notice of those who tell workers they can’t, and shouldn’t, rock the boat.
Louise Raw February 2013
Matchwomen's Festival 2013
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Twitter: @Matchwomen1888
Lousie Raw is author of Striking a Light: The Bryant and May Matchwomen and Their Place in History, Continuum, 2009