CHILD LABOUR 1 Why did children have to

CHILD LABOUR 1. Why did children have to work? Wages were too low…. Parents could not provide enough to keep their family alive. 2. Why were children so useful in textile factories, mineshafts and as chimney sweeps? Because of their size… many children ran in and out of the workings of the power looms!

CHILD LABOUR 3. What were some consequences? A. Exposure to pollution (noise and air) B. Breathing in fibers and fluff C. Take wages in food D. Work long overtime shifts (work up to 14 hours a day, 7 days a week!) E. Lifelong deformities

CHILD LABOUR

THE FACTORY ACTS 1. Who tried to improve the lives of working people? Social Reformers (who are social reformers? ) 2. Workers also tried to help themselves. What did they do? Formed Guilds- members in the same trades formed associations so they would be able to influence the actions of their employers, but the government declared these guilds illegal! What do we call guilds today?

THE FACTORY ACTS 3. Who was the government controlled by and why did they not like guilds? Controlled by the rich and powerful. Claimed that guilds would ruin the economy. 4. What group was the first to benefit from the factory acts? Children! The factory act of 1802 made it illegal to have children work more than 12 hours straight in cotton mills. Then it became illegal to hire a child under 9 years of age to work in the textile industry.

THE FACTORY ACTS 5. Did these laws work? Not really, because there were no inspectors. The laws were set, but there was nobody to make sure the employers followed the rules! 6. What happened in 1824? Labour unions became legal! Does child labour still exist today?