Chapter : 2. The Age of Industrialisation
Life of the Workers
Life of the Workers :
The process of industrialisation brought with it miseries for newly emerged class of industrial workers.
(i) Abundance of labour : As news of possible jobs travelled to the countryside, hundreds tramped to the cities. But everyone was not lucky enough to get an instant job. Many job seekers had to wait weeks, spending nights under bridges or in night shelters. Some stayed in Night Refuges that were set up by private individuals; other went to the Casual Wards maintained by the Poor Law authorities.
(ii) Seasonality of work : Seasonality of work in many industries meant prolonged periods without work. After the busy season was over, the poor were on the streets again. They either returned to the countryside or looked for odd jobs, which till the mid-nineteenth century were difficult to find.
(iii) Poverty and unemployment : At the best of times till the mid-nineteenth century, about 10% of the urban population was extremely poor which went upto anything between 35 and 75% during periods of economic slump. The fear of unemployment made workers hostile to the introduction of new technology. When the Spinning Jenny was introduced in the woolen industry. Women who survived on hand spinning began attacking the new machines.
(iv) Roads were widened, new railway stations came up railway lines were extended, tunnels dug, drainage and sewers laid, rivers embanked. The number of workers employed in the transport industry doubled in the 1840s, and doubled again in the subsequent 30 years. After the 1840s, building activity intensified in the cities, opening up greater opportunities of employment.
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