Factory Workers in Industrial Revolution: Poor Wages, No Rights - Essay Sample

Introduction

It was not the best time to be a factory worker during the industrial revolution. The working conditions were terrible and severe. During this time, most workers were plentiful and available work did not require much skill. The lack of skills by the workers made it difficult for them to demand better wages and conditions from the people they were working for. During that time, the England nation had not come up with laws that would protect children rights and there were no labor laws and regulations(Fraser, Derek) Workers could work as much as 16 hours in one day, working for this long each day would be a misuse of human potential as people need proper rest and refreshments as they continue providing labour to the factories.

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The growing number of factories during that time needed quick labour; businesses could exploit this gap as people were willing to work as long as they got paid. This motive made the employers realize the desperation of the workforce; they could pay the workers as little as $ 10 a week. The pay was never going to be comparable to the number of hours worked; they were too little to bear. Even the skilled labour did not benefit much from their expertise as their wages were little as well. I would say barely any worker enjoyed their deserved pay during that time. All the profits were enjoyed by the business owners who had little concerns about human rights and the need to improve the working conditions. Even with the low wages, there was still discrimination as to which gender was working and what the age of each employee was. Women could receive as little as a third of what their men counterparts could get; it was even worse for the children as they received the least.

Only profits only drove owners to the businesses and getting cheap labour was their happiness. The pay was not the only challenge the workers were going through. The working environment was not the best; the only light the employees had the privilege to utilize was the natural light that came from the windows. The houses were not well ventilated; this exposed the workers to health hazards, thus placing their lives always in danger. The machines could spit out smoke, and some workers could leave the factory premises covered in black soot each day. You could imagine how much of that soot went through to their lungs and what health implications they could result to. Most machines had no safety precautions; there were so many accidents that were being reported some could have occurred as a result of working for long hours, and the fatigue of working for long could make some employees slip off from effective functioning.

Most children that were being used as cheap unskilled labour developed deformities as they lacked doing exercises and lacked proper sunlight. This was not a worrying concern to the employers. Employees later could realize they needed a labour union that could help them demand better rights, better pay and working conditions. The worker finally wanted to end the long hours of work that resulted in poor pay. The workers could now demand fair treatment and defend the children from working in the factories as it was doing them more harm than good. The dangers involved made the factories more risky for children as they would not know what to do in the event of some unavoidable circumstances. The labour unions organized protests and strikes to push for better compensations, as they were selling for this their immigrants that were coming in who could do they jobs and accept the wages even with the low payments. This made the labour unions ineffective during that time.

As businesses and markets grew, the more people wanted jobs. People were moving to the northeast because they needed jobs. With the sick pay, most people could not afford better places to live in, and for that reason, they went to live in the slums. People could use a single room as many as five. Ideally sharing a room with five people is not conducive and would not be convenient for people who love privacy. It would mean that the spread of infectious diseases would hardly be controlled. The lack of medicine and lack of Medicare facilities as well raised the number of deaths as people could not get better healthcare. At that time, more people were moving in, and the spread of diseases was also on the rise. Houses were becoming more congested, making every bit about life riskier every day.

As evolution occurred, the middle-class population emerged (Smelser, Neil). To employers could not be able to control all the employees by themselves. They had to recognize the need of having managers, reward skilled labours, and have clerks and accountants. These titles came with better wages, which made it possible for this class to have the money they needed for basic needs and some for leisure activities. The extra money awarded to them caused them to live comfortably than most employees lived. Most of them decided to move away from the crowded cities as they thought the places were unhygienic and unpleasant. This was the beginning of socially segregated neighbourhoods and suburbs. However, the majority of the workers still lived in terrible houses, harsh conditions as they lacked the money to do what would please them.

During the industrial revolution, the government played a significant role in trying to ensure that there were better working conditions in place. The government made it possible to keep peace in the fighting wars between employers and employees. They helped maintain civil order as well as enforce the law. The government passed bills that could protect the children from working for long hours. The government would also later pass another bill that could limit adult employees from working for extraordinary long hours.

With the increased industrialization, the government created some roles in which some representatives could be elected to represent the views of the people they served. People could report their grievances, and the government could act on them. One of the grievances would be on poor pay and working conditions. The government could ensure that the rights of its people were protected and that the workforce was well compensated as it deserved. The government encouraged the use of better technology that would have little damage to the environment as well as to the health of individuals. The revolutions brought about a new source of social and economic power to the people as their lives were made better (Drucker, Peter)

Works Cited

Fraser, Derek. The evolution of the British welfare state: a history of social policy since the Industrial Revolution. Macmillan International Higher Education, 1992.

Smelser, Neil J. Social change in the industrial revolution: An application of theory to the British cotton industry. Routledge, 2013.

Drucker, Peter. The age of discontinuity: Guidelines to our changing society. Routledge, 2017.