Industrial Revolution Working Conditions

Описание: The working conditions of cotton mill workers and coal miners in England during the Industrial Revolution


Introduction

While the Industrial Revolution in Britain led to the luxurious lifestyle of the Industrial Middle Class, the Industrial Working Class suffered due to the poor conditions of their jobs.


Conclusion

Workers during the Industrial Revolution faced long hours, poor working conditions, hard work, and minimal pay. While the Industrial Revolution was a time of great success, the success was not shared by everyone.


Cotton Mill

Women and children as young as 5 years old made up two thirds of the cotton mill workforce. They worked in harsh conditions for 12 to 16 hours each day, 6 days a week. The workers did not stop for meals, there was no security of employment, and women were required to work while pregnant. The mills were crowded, dimly lit, poorly ventilated, dirty, dusty, dangerous, and unhealthy. Workers suffered from digestive problems, lung pains, side pains, and often their hands and feet hurt. The workers were treated very poorly in the mills. Their pay was deducted for making a mistake, they were required to work while pregnant, and child laborers were often beaten for making mistakes or falling asleep on the job. The wage of these workers was very low, in fact winders were paid only 2 to 4 shillings a week and weavers 5 to 8 shillings a week.


Coal Mines

Men, women, and children as young as 5 years old all worked over 12 hours each day, 6 days a week in the dangerous conditions of the coal mines. The Mine workers experienced cave-ins, explosions, tight conditions, constant dampness, flooding, exposure to gas fumes and poisonous gases. Each day mine workers risked entrapment, body deformity, ruined lungs, loss of limbs and death. In fact, 349 deaths occurred in a single coal mine in only 1 year, 58 of these deaths were of children 13 years or younger. In the mines, death was caused by falling down mine shafts, explosions and cave-ins, suffocation by poisonous gas, or getting run over by a tram. Child laborers were Hurriers, they carried over 50lbs of coal through the mines and were only paid 1 shilling per week yet they had to pay for their own candles. Teams of women physically operated the machinery that brought mine workers and coal in and out of the mines even while pregnant, it was a job that men refused to do, yet they were only paid 5 shillings per week. Men mined coal from inside the mines and were to be paid 10 to 15 shillings per week, but there were many fines and fees deducted from their pay. They were charged for the usage of candles, and they were fined if the quality of the coal they produced did not meet the high expectations of the mining company. Just like the cotton mills, there was no security of employment and no protection laws.