Describe the origin and early history of trade unions

Trade unions have sometimes been seen as successors to the guilds of medieval Europe, though the relationship between the two is disputed. Medieval guilds existed
to protect and enhance their members’ livelihoods through controlling the instructional capital of artisanship and the progression of members from apprentice to
craftsman, journeyman, and eventually to master and grandmaster of their craft. A
trade union might include workers from only one trade or craft, or might combine
several or all the workers in one company or industry. Trade unions and/or collective bargaining were outlawed from no later than the middle of the 14th century
when the Ordinance of Laborers was enacted in the Kingdom of England. Union organizing would eventually be outlawed everywhere and remain so until the middle of the 19th century. Since the publication of the History of Trade Unionism (1894) by Sidney and Beatrice Webb, the predominant historical view is that a trade union "is a continuous association of wage earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment."
A modern definition by the Australian Bureau of Statistics states that a trade union
is "an organization consisting predominantly of employees, the principal activities of which include the negotiation of rates of pay and conditions of employment for its members." Yet historian R.A. Leeson, in United we Stand (1971), said: Two conflicting views of the trade-union movement strove for ascendancy in the nineteenth century: one the defensive-restrictive guild-craft tradition passed down through journeymen’s clubs and friendly societies, ... the other the aggressive expansionist drive to unite all ’labouring men and women’ for a ’different order of things’. Recent historical research by Bob James in Craft, Trade or Mystery (2001)
puts forward the view that trade unions are part of a broader movement of benefit
societies, which includes medieval guilds, Freemasons, Odd fellows, friendly societies, and other fraternal organisations. The trade union movement in Kenya began in the early 1900’s. However it took almost 50 years before the first real trade union movement became a permanent feature of the industrial relation scene. A number of factors contributed to this.
These include.
• The strong opposition of the elite settler employers
• The small number of wage earners and their lack of technical know how in
the trade union organization
• The authoritarian nature of the colonial political system
• The restrictive Labour Laws
• The high rate of illiteracy among wage earners Between 1900-1946, some
important changes occurred which contributed to the emergence of the trade
unions. The impact of the two world wars, the enlistment of solders form East
Africa and their intensive training not only in arms but also as carpenters,
masons, drivers, fitters etc, had its effect on the workers. Their experience
abroad in place like Italy, Egypt, India, Ceylon and Burma had shown the m
new ways of life. After the war, they had to return home, but after seeing
conditions of work in other parts of the world and with the intensive training they were given, these people could not be expected to come back and
be contented with the terms and conditions of work at home. Most of them
therefore became militant leaders of workers, but the colonial government did
not give them a chance to organize themselves. The increase in the concentration of wage-earners in the agricultural, manufacturing and other sector led
to a greater awareness amongst wage earners of their economic plight. The
increased awareness led to the formation of the workers organization in the
1940’s.

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Titany answered the question on December 3, 2021 at 05:38