Labour Problems

war-time industries slowing down

Women pressured to stay at home
so returning soldiers could have jobs
Jobs were hard to find
Many veterans of the war flooded the job market.
Some industries had become very wealthy because of
the war
Now that the demand for production had decreased, so
did the need for people to work

Inflation
Rising costs of goods and services and the cost of living
During the war, prices had increased greatly.
Wages had also gone up but had not kept pace with
rising prices.
Between 1914 and 1919, the cost of living had doubled.

Unions and Strikes

In 1919

Low employment
No unemployment insurance (EI)
No workers compensation
No pensions
Many poor working conditions
Laws favoured the employers

 Thousands joined unions to fight for workers rights

Many employers did not take these unions seriously
In many cases the only way for workers to make their
demands heard was to go on strike.
Three easy ways out for employers.
1) injunction
2) strikebreakers (scabs)
3) strikers would be replaced
and lose their jobs

Winnipeg General Strike

Worker unrest came to a head on May 1st, 1919
The Building and Metal Trades Council (union) voted to go
on strike.
May 15th, 30,000 other workers in the city walked off of
their jobs.
Many sympathy strikes occurred in major cities in Canada.
The strike spread from industry to industry in Winnipeg
and the city came to a stand-still. Even essential service
workers refused to go to their jobs.

 Two hostile camps (Workers vs. Owners)

The owners accused the workers of trying to start a
revolution and the Canadian Govt became alarmed.
The govt made changes to the Criminal Code and
announced stiff penalties for those suspected of trying to
start a revolution.
On June 21st (Bloody Saturday) a protest march of
striking workers began and became violent. The
Mounties tried to restore orderin the endone man
had been killed and 30 others injured.
Five days later, the striking unions ordered the workers
back to their jobthe strike was over.

Failure or Not?
To many workersyes
1) not successful
2) many lost their jobs
3) branded as troublemakers
4) forced to sign yellow-dog contracts
5) a lot of bitterness and resentment
6) new laws made to prevent strikes
were passed

 For the future of labournot a failure

1) appreciation of workers value increased
2) drew attention to social problems
3) drew attention to economic problems
4) Commission appointed to investigate
5) labour leaders became involved in
politics.
6) Many strike leaders were voted into
government and change began.