The Tolpuddle Martyrs Story, Dorset
Narrator: It was a lovely, sunny day in February 1834, somewhere in the village of
Tolpuddle, midday I think. Stand underneath a massive oak tree were five labourers
standing around looking suspicious. The birds were tweeting and splat!
James 1: What.
James 2: Oh crap, a bird has just pooed on my hat!
James1: Well, just scrape it off with your finger. That is what I do and then I lick it. It tastes
nice, promise.
Narrator: Anyway the five men we hanging around huddled together with their hoods on.
George: I think we need to form a trade union to defend our terms and conditions. Our
employer, the farmer, pays us too little, does not provide us with sufficient holidays, he
does not provide flexible working for childcare etc.
Thomas: Our terms and conditions. What is that?
Narrator: Sorry, holidays, flexible working those don’t get invented till after the trade
unions are created. It was only till 1998 and after union campaign that holidays became
legal.
George: Ok, so I am ahead of my time. Anyway our employer pays us little and we should
demand better pay.
James 1: the harvest has been very bad this year. Our farmer is now telling us he will cut
our pay because he cannot afford it.
John: We will not have enough to cloth our families or buy firewood to keep us warm.
James 2: yeah, we can’t feed our families properly food is too expensive these days and
don’t get me started on the rent.
Thomas: May be we ought to stick together and go and see the farmer. It is only together
that we can achieve anything.
George: If we go on our own it will be easier for the farmer to intimidate us and dismiss us.
If we go as a group then we can stand together.
Narrator: From a distance four horsemen appear. Galloping fast they are the sheriff and his
trusted men.
Sherriff: You are all nicked.
George: what for?
Sheriff: For trying to form a trade union that under the combination act of 1800 and 1825
that is a form of conspiracy and you will now be sent to Australia on hard labour.
James 2: The combi laws….is it that not a gas boiler.
Sherriff: No these are sedition laws to stop revolutions.
James1: Hold on, how did you know we were trying to form a trade union.
Sherriff 2: We eavesdropped your conversation using undercover microphones.
James 2: That is 20th century technology this is 1834!
Sheriff 3: We brought it in a time machine.
George: But what about our democratic and human rights:
Sheriff 1: Working men do not have the right to vote till after 1918 and women till 1928.
Sorry. And it only happening after campaigning by groups supported by trade unions like
the chartists in 1850 and the suffragettes.
Narrator: And they all went off into the sunset shouting with their hands up in the air “Uh
ah tolpuddle martyrs” and “here we go here we go to sunny Australia”
Whipps Cross Hospital strike 2006, Waltham Forest
Narrator: At hollow ponds, a group of new trade union members are out on strike enjoying
an ice cream and watching the swans go by.
Ade: Shall we hire a boat and go for a paddle?
Miriam: What go for a paddle! We are meant to be out on strike not enjoying ourselves.
Ania: Well it has been a bit of a crap summer too much like back at home in Poland and I
thought I had come to sunny England.
Narrator: The 3 workers get called over to a meeting outside the hospital. His union rep
them to speak to the media and wants them to explain the human story and the reasons for
been out on strike. It is not for a biology magazine. Just the Waltham forest guardian.
Union rep: Brothers and sisters. What we have here is a bad employer. Who makes a profit
from running the cleaning service at the hospital but does not pay it workers properly. So
you been out on strike for three days shows that we are sending a message to the
management and the hospital.
Ade: Up the workers.
Narrator: the journalist walks up to the three workers to find out about their story and why
they are out on strike.
Journalist: Can I ask why are you on strike? Surely, you should be working cleaning beds,
taking out the rubbish, cleaning floors. Actually, I am not a journalist I am your manager.
Miriam: What?
Journalist: Just kidding.
Ade: Well I have three jobs. I do one shift here at the hospital and when I finish I travel to
another hospital to do a second shift. That means that sometimes I leave home at 8 in the
morning and don’t come back till the following morning. Then I start work again, sometimes
I fall asleep at work. It is just that on £5.20 I cannot pay my rent put food on the table.
Journalist: Wow you fall asleep.
Ade: yes of course it is too much this is hard life. I support my union in what we are trying
to achieve.
Journalist: And what about you?
Miriam: Well I too have children. My union helped me when the management wanted to
get rid of the bed cleaning staff to save money. All the bed cleaning women got together
and we said no. the management backed down.
Journalist: So why are you on strike?
Miriam: Because…..I fancy the union rep. Sorry erm I think what we are fighting for which is
fair wages that we can live on is our human right. It is not right that a hospital uses a private
company and that company makes huge profits!
Journalist: And you?
Ania: Well I had never heard of trade unions. I did not know what they do. But when they
explained to me that it was a bit like going to a party you join together and have a good
time. No not that I do believe in what we are doing is only fair and right.
Journalist: Well you cannot say that it is fair that the director of the company has earned
this year over £2m.
Everyone: Shall we go and have another ice-cream. Yeah “up the workers” and “solidarity
with the ice cream van”.
Narrator: this strike was ground breaking in that it involved workers from different
nationalities many of whom had never heard of trade unions. The workers did achieve their
aim of increasing their pay.
1968 Ford motor company Machinists strike – the fight for equal pay
– Dagenham
Narrator: Small group of women are having a cup of tea at their canteen in Fords factory
with their union rep. they are talking about what they did over the weekend and then the
conversation turns about the men in the factory and how much they fart and get paid
more.
Rose: As the union rep I have now found out that other men in this huge factory that
employs over 5000 people get paid more than us.
Lil: You mean there are over 5000 people working in this factory. I should get out more!
Violet: I know that the factory produces so much electricity that is supplies it to the houses
next do.
Rose: girls let’s get serious.
Narrator: The women were machinist employed to sow the leather on the seats in ford
cars. The women have been placed on B grade as unskilled and as women’s work whereas
the men in the factory were on C grade as semi-skilled getting paid more.
Rose: Look, the men in this place earn a lot more than us.
Lil: Yeah but no but yeah but we like sewing.
Violet: Yeah we sow all day, go home sow the men’s socks, kids trousers.
Sheila: My dreams are of sowing.
Rose: What I propose is that we go out on strike and ask for the same as the men.
Narrator: The women have been out on strike and they have a meeting with the labour
employment minister Barbara Castle.
Barbara: thanks for coming along. I know you have been on strike for a long time. That is a
long time. What can I do?
Rose: We want equality with men. We work just the same as men and we put food on our
tables with what we earn.
Lil: this is not a hobby even though we sow at work and at home.
Sheila: Yep. I need to go back home to feed my husband. He does not know how to cook his
eggs and bacon. Come to think of it he does nothing round the house. That is not fair!
Lil: Hey let them do their own meal.
Sheila: We need to win this and show that women united can achieve things. Our work is
no less valuable than what the men do. No seat covers, no cars.
Barbara: OK, I tell you what, I was also thinking about a new law called the Equal Pay Act.
What do you think?
Violet: Ok, why not, cup of tea anyone. Milk, two sugars?
Narrator: And it was as a result of the women standing together and fighting for their rights
that they not only achieved to be paid the same as men but also pushed to create a law
that still applies to this day.
Activity:
Horrible Histories: the story of working
people and trade unions
Task 1:
Write down or draw or paint on flipchart your ideas on what is a trade union.
Once you have done that stick the flipchart on the wall.
Task 2:
In small groups, practise the role play scenario in front of the whole wood craft group. You are encouraged to
improvise on the acting.
Then, answer these questions:
1. What were the people in that role trying to do?
2. Why?
3. What was the role of the trade union?
Task 3:
In October 20th the main trade union body called the Trades Union Congress organised a demonstration against the
cuts in public spending and unemployment. The unions are calling for the government to do something about the
recession.
Write down on the cards



How “the state of the economy” or “the cuts to public spending” have affected your family or anyone else
you know.
Why have they been affected? What effect is it having in their lives?
Write/draw slogans for the march.