Men recruited to work in the coal mines in Canada brought ideas of workers’ rights with them from overseas. The horrific and dangerous working conditions, long hours, poor treatment of workers, high fatality rates, and low pay made the time “rotten ripe” for change.
The labour movement arose in Europe in the 1800s, and was strongly internationalist in character – emphasising the shared interests between workers in different countries in opposing capitalist political regimes.
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Items from our collection related to the labour movement
