workingclasshistory:

On this day, 20 March 1911, women at the Singer factory in Clydebank went on strike, triggering a decade of class struggle known as “Red Clydeside.” That same year Frederick Taylor published The Principles of Scientific Management and his ideas were already influencing the managers at Singer. Each worker in the factory (pictured) repeatedly completed one task in one way. 15 women did nothing but polish the sewing machine cases, hour after hour, day after day. When three of these women were assigned other duties, the remaining 12 were expected to pick up their polishing. At the same time, their pay was reduced. The remaining polishers ceased polishing: on Monday 20 March, they determined to go on strike. Singer tolerated no trade unions among its unskilled workforce, but for some months a small group of militants had been secretly spreading the ideas of the Industrial Workers of Great Britain, part of the Industrial Workers of the World. They had spread a famous IWW slogan: “an injury to one is an injury to all.” And so, by the next day, 10,000 workers were on strike and only foremen and some skilled workers remained. The opening days of the strike had the atmosphere of a carnival and for two weeks the workers held mass meetings and demanded collective negotiation. But management wrote to every worker, requesting they sign a card stating “I wish to resume my work… when you assure me that at least 6,000 persons have signed this agreement.” The cleverness of the plan was in individualising the strikers. Everyone worried that other people were signing, and that that if they didn’t they would lose their job and be blacklisted. Management soon claimed they had received a rather convenient 6,015 responses, and on April 7 people began returning to work. Singer sacked over 400 workers, including all known members of the IWGB, because, as they stated, “We cannot be expected to retain people… who by word and deed plainly indicate that they are unfriendly to their employers.” https://ift.tt/2CuhhLU