Description
Apprentices’ Strike meeting in Queen’s Park. The national strike by apprentices was to demand fair wages, the right to union representation and an end to victimisation. Apprentices’ wages were extremely low, despite them often been asked to do jobs for which adult workers were paid danger money. It was also standard practice for companies to sack them when they became fully qualified and replace them with new apprentices who were much cheaper. The apprentices’ slogan was `All out together, all back together’ and they were successful in gaining union representation and fairer wages.
I recognize that it was before my time as a Bolton Apprentice.
I don’t know how successful this national strike was but when I started my Indentured Craft Apprenticeship at Hick Hargreaves in 1959 it was still a 48 hour week and my starting pay was ten pence ( old pence ) an hour.
The apprentice boys in the machine shop had to wrestle to a submission every Friday after lunch.
8 lads to 4 lads to two finalists and eventually a winner.
It was tradition except for WWI and WWII years since 1878
I dreaded Fridays because I never got past the second round.
It was banned 1961 when a young apprentice in the final two was thrust into a sheet metal shelf and busted his right orbis and stitches to repair his face. That final result stands forever:
Winner…..Robinson
Second place…..Hardman
Hardman was the hero because he took one for all apprentices.
Thanx Mate !
P.C. 166 of the Bolton Borough Police in 1937, was PC Avery Stevens. He joined the force as PC 166 on 10.2.1930, was promoted to Sgt 24 on 21.9.1949 and retired as Sgt 11.8.1955.