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THE FIGHT FOR AN EIGHT HOURS WORKING DAY
1899.
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MINERS’ AND THE EIGHT HOURS BILL

Wednesday last was observed as a holiday throughout the country in support of the Eight Hours’ movement. Idleness was almost universal, and mass meetings in furtherance of the object in view were held at Hamilton, Bellshill, Blantyre, Cambuslang, Motherwell, Wishaw, Haywood, Shotts, Uddingston, Airdrie and Larkhall. Favourable weather was experienced.

HAMILTON.----In Hamilton and Burnbank district pickets were out at an early hour, and managed to stop the men at all the collieries except Bent, Barncluith, Silverton, and Allanshaw, the latter of which was partially idle. At eleven o’clock a mass meeting was held in the Victoria Hall, Hamilton –Mr John McMillan, Cadzow, in the chair. Mr D. Gilmour, secretary, stated that throughout the county 30,000 miners were idle. He read the following resolutions, which he explained were to be submitted at all the meetings in the various districts:--
That this meeting of miners hereby urges the House of Commons to pass into law the Miners’ Eight Hours’ Bill during next session of Parliament, and calls upon the workers in every constituency to do their utmost to prevent the return of members who are antagonistic to the measure.

That we hereby agree to press for the following amendments to the Workmen’s Compensation Act:--

(a) That the clause referring to wilful and serious misconduct be deleted;

(b) that the payment of compensation commence from the date of the accident;

(c) to abolish contracting out;

(d) the inclusion of all trades within the scope of the Act.

That the Executive Committee of the Union be instructed to call the attention of the Home Secretary to the findings of the jury in the recent inquiry into the death of a workman at Glenclelland Colliery, near Wishaw, and to call on him to issue an order prohibiting the employment underground of persons who do not understand the English language, and who are therefore in entire ignorance of the rules in operation for securing the greater safety of the workers in and about mines.

Councillor Shaw Maxwell in supporting the resolution remarked at the outset that it had been his fortune to appear frequently before them in the interests of organisation, but he did not remember a time when he did so under conditions more favourable than the present, and he congratulated them on the solidarity and unity which they were exhibiting. (Cheers.)

Without organisation this would have been impossible, and he was pleased to see the nature of the resolutions which they were about to pass, because he had always urged that if the miners of the country appreciated their positions aright and knew their own strength, they practically would be invincible. If they were only prepared to help themselves, their present fair time was only a tight of what they would enjoy in the future. He wanted so see Lanarkshire sufficiently organised that they would become a political force, and condemned their sending to Parliament any “gold bug” who came before them simply because he was a territorial magnate. If they wanted their purpose served they must return men who were entitled to speak for them, and not men, no matter how rich they were, whose interests were antagonistic to theirs. (Cheers).

Regarding the part of the resolutions relative to the employment of Poles, he said it was dictated by no adverse feeling, but purely in order to secure their safety and that of their fellow-men. Mr A. Sharp, secretary Cumberland Miners’ Association, gave an account of the voluntary working of the eight hours’ day there, and advised the Lanarkshire men to follow their example in sending no member to Parliament who was not pledged to support the Eight Hours’ Bill.

Mr James Tonner, Cambuslang, wondered why no miners’ agent was sent from Scotland, arguing that they were as fit as their English brethren to be Parliamentary representatives. Mr D. Gilmour, Hamilton also spoke. On the Eight Hours’ question, he said he was one of those who held that their hair would be grey before Parliament granted a Bill on the subject. If Cumberland could carry out an eight hours’ day voluntarily, what was to hinder the Lanarkshire miners to do the same? (Cheers.)

They as a Union had to do with 30,000 miners, and he did not believe they had 1500 men outside their ranks. They would have 28,000 men on the roll. They had succeeded in putting away the old condition of affairs under which they wrought for a miserable half-crown or 3s a day, and established the Federation minimum wage, while he remembered only five years ago the late Mr John Cunninghame telling Mr Smillie and himself at Bardykes Colliery they would never succeed in forcing the coalmasters to grant the Federation standard. What they did in the matter of wages they could also do as regards hours. He hoped in the summertime to be able to take them to the Palace grounds and have a right royal day in celebration of the establishment of an eight hours’ day. (Cheers).

The resolutions were unanimously carried.

THE BLANTYRE MEETING.

This meeting was announced for the Masonic Hall, Stonefield, but so large was the turnout, that it was necessary to meet in the open-air in the Castle Park.

For some time previous to the meeting, St. Joseph’s Brass Band and Bardykes Flute Band, the latter headed with a banner bearing the motto, “Eight Hours’ Day.” Paraded the streets of the village, and when the meeting started about mid-day there would be an attendance of close upon 2000 round the platform. Mr H. Tonner, checkweigher, presided.

MICHAEL KELLY, Burnbank, who spoke first, pointed out that all former attempts by the miners of Lanarkshire to establish an eight hours’ day had ended in failure, and so they had come to the conclusion that a solution of the question could only be arrived at by legislation. In the past, they had paid too little attention to the political side of the matter, and while they sent their own fellow-workmen to represent them at Trade Congresses, they had almost invariably returned their employers to Parliament. For more than a quartet of a century they had been talking of this question, but he thought the time for talking was over, and he hoped that this holiday to demonstrate in favour of an eight hours’ day would only be the first of a series held in support of this and other questions.

MR R. SMILLIE, PRESIDENT of the Lanarkshire Miners’ Union, said it was refreshing to him to think that that day there were eleven mass meetings being held throughout the county, and to be able to speak at three meetings without referring to organisation. In all Lanarkshire, he believed there were not at the present time so many non-union miners as were standing round that platform. Blantyre and all districts were practically solid for the union, and now they were urged to take a step forward.

Past experience showed them that all acts of Parliament for the benefit of the working classes were only secured after tears and years of agitation, and while no class of workmen had more litigation than miners, it was a fact that not a single clause for their safety and comfort had been got till after much organised effort on the part of the men themselves.

It was therefore not sufficient for the people to say they wanted an eight hours’ day. They must be prepared to work for it, and while they were waiting on the House of Commons doing this for them, they should be doing something doe themselves in the direction of adopting a voluntary eight hours day from bank to bank.

Regarding the second resolution, which dealt with the Workmen’s Compensation Act, he held that, in spite of contrary opinions, it had done a great deal of good for the working-class of this country. The measure, however, could be amended with benefit. He thought there ought to be no clause making it impossible to get compensation if the person injured had been guilty of wilful and serious misconduct. It was altogether unlikely that a miner would deliberately place himself under a bad stone to be injured or killed merely in order that his wife should receive £100 or so of compensation. As a practical miner himself, he held it was absolutely impossible for the mining community to carry out the many rules for their guidance underground, and consequently a breach of any one of these rules ought to debar a person from compensation, which he further held should not be delayed a fortnight after the person was injured. In conclusion, he urged that the Home Secretary should issue an order prohibiting the employment underground of foreigners ignorant of the English language; and regarding the strike at Faskin Colliery belonging to William Baird & Co., be held that the reduction in wages of from 4d and 6d per day was a breach of the agreement of the joint conference between masters and representatives of the men, and at which Mr McCosh presided.

MR JOHN WEIR, secretary of the Fife Miners was the last speaker, and a splendid reception. He gave credit to Lanarkshire for having at the late conference with the masters brought about a revolution in the ideas of the latter in getting them to adopt the minimum wage. He believed in an eight hours’ day, and that of a man could not earn his bread in a working day of that length, he should shift. (Laughter.)

It was possible for them to go in for a voluntary eight hours day, but there was no better safeguard for its continuance than to have the hall mark of Parliament upon it. (Hear, Hear.)

It would not injure their trade, because it had been tested in various districts of the country, and these districts to-day held their own in the competition of the world. But for the awkward position taken up by the North of England miners, they should have had an eight hours’ day on the statute book. The position taken up by the Northumbrian and Durham miners, he held to be an inverting of the principals of trade unionists, in so far as they were not willing to work eight hours themselves instead of 6 ½ and 7 hours, so that the young lads might be reduced from 10 and 11 to eight hours. He afterwards spoke at length on the Workmen’s Compensation Act and other matters.

Ref. Hamilton Advertiser. 30/9/1899.

(Wilma Bolton, 2011)

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