Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Great Tailor’s Strike Balance Sheet

Balance sheet showing income and expenditures of the Great Strike of East London tailors, London, 1899, RG 116 England Territotial Collection, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research

This balance sheet of the great strike of East London tailors, 1889, comes from the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The TUC’s Union Online trade union history archive has this to say about the strike and document:

London Tailors Strike 1889 was called against the sweated conditions of the Jewish immigrants working in small tailoring workshops in Whitechapel.

The strike was called by the Amalgamated Society of Tailors and two smaller pressers’ and machinists’ unions. Their headquarters was the White Hart public house in Greenfield Street. The strike was linked to the other climactic events of 1888-89. Lewis Lyons, the chairman of the strike committee, was a member of the Social Democratic Federation and William Wess, the Secretary was a member of the Socialist League. As in the Dock Strike, daily street processions led by brass bands were organised and John Burns, Tom Mann and Ben Tillett spoke at their meetings. £100 was donated from the residue of the Dockers Strike Fund. Leaflets were printed in English and Yiddish and by September, 10,000 workers were on strike. Lord Rothschild and the local MP, Samuel acted as mediators with the employers and after 5 weeks, the strikers’ demands for a 10½ hour day and a limit on overtime were agreed.

 

Discover more Hidden Treasures

Hidden Treasures: Celebrating the documents, photos and artefacts in British archives that tell the story of Jews in Britain