Workers Fought for the Right to Be Heard [Pt.2]

Justice Must Be Fair, Consistent and Seen to Be Fair!

In Part One, the Workers of England Union asked a fundamental question that needs considering:

Can workers trust that they will always retain the right to organise, march and demonstrate peacefully when they believe government or employers are wrong?

History tells us why that question matters so much to workers protecting their employment rights.

Peterloo

In 1819 workers were suffering unemployment and wage reductions while demanding greater and political representation that understood those concerns.

Early trade unionism and mass political campaigning were developing.

On 16 August, around 60,000 men, women and children gathered at St Peter's Field in Manchester.
The meeting was peaceful.

They had come to hear Henry Hunt speak about parliamentary reform and greater political rights.
The authorities decided to arrest Hunt. Cavalry entered the crowd. Modern estimates suggest 18 people were killed and up to 700 injured.

Hunt himself was eventually imprisoned.

Peterloo did not happen because tens of thousands of workers suddenly became criminals. It occurred against a background of economic hardship and growing demands from ordinary people to have a voice.

Instead of rebuilding confidence, the Government subsequently introduced the Six Acts, further restricting meetings and political activity.*

The Tolpuddle Martyrs*

Fifteen years later, agricultural labourers in Tolpuddle faced falling wages.

Six workers formed the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers to defend themselves collectively.

They were prosecuted over the oath they had taken and sentenced to seven years' transportation to Australia.
Their punishment created enormous public anger.

Working people organised, demonstrated and petitioned for their freedom. Eventually, the Tolpuddle Martyrs were pardoned.
Today we celebrate them as pioneers of Trade Unionism.

But we should remember something uncomfortable.

The authorities who prosecuted them did not regard them as heroes of workers' rights.

That judgement came later.

This does not mean every modern protester is another Tolpuddle Martyr or that every arrest or refusal of bail is unjust.
As mentioned, the WEU does not defend violence, intimidation or criminal activity.

But history demonstrates why Trade Unions should always scrutinise restrictions placed upon peaceful protest and how those protesters are treated.

Workers must be confident that they can stand together and challenge government policy. They must be able to demonstrate against an employer. They must be able to campaign for better wages and conditions. And they must have the freedom to express unpopular or popular opinions peacefully.

Most importantly, those rights cannot depend upon whether those currently in power agree with what workers are saying.
Peterloo and Tolpuddle belong to a long history of working people demanding to be heard. At different times, authorities regarded those demands as threatening or unacceptable. Today, we recognise how important those struggles were.
That is why trust in justice matters.

Workers must trust that the law will protect victims and punish crime. But they must also trust that the same law protects their freedom to organise, speak and peacefully demonstrate.

Without both, confidence in justice begins to break down.

And history teaches us that when ordinary people stop believing they can be heard peacefully, the consequences can reach far beyond the original dispute.

Stephen Morris, General Secretary of the Workers of England Union, said:

“Peterloo and the Tolpuddle Martyrs are an important part of England’s workers’ and Trade Union history, and it is a history we should be proud of.

“The people who stood up at Peterloo wanted their voices to be heard. The agricultural workers at Tolpuddle stood together to protect their wages and were sentenced to seven years’ transportation for the oath they had taken as part of their Trade Union.

“Today we rightly remember their courage, but we must also remember how they were treated at the time. The freedoms workers have today were not simply given to us. Previous generations stood together, organised, marched and demonstrated to win them.

“As trade unionists, we have a responsibility to protect that inheritance. Whether we agree with a particular demonstration or disagree with it, workers must always have confidence that they can organise, speak out and demonstrate peacefully without fear of disproportionate treatment.

“That is why Peterloo and Tolpuddle still matter. They are not simply events from our past. They are reminders that the right of working people to stand together and be heard must never be taken for granted.”

*The Tolpuddle Martyrs were arrested and tried in 1834.

The key dates are:

• 24 February 1834, the six agricultural labourers were arrested.
• March 1834, they were tried at Dorchester Assizes and sentenced to seven years' transportation to Australia.
• 1834–1836, a major trade-union and public campaign demanded their release.
• 1836, the government granted them pardons.
• 1837–1838, the men eventually returned to England.

*The Six Acts were introduced after Peterloo in 1819 specifically in response to fears of radical agitation and disorder. The National Archives describes them as intended to restrict public meetings, publishing, newspapers and other radical activities. Although the first couple of points look reasonable, as the points continue, the underlying intention becomes increasingly clear and it emerges what the British Government is actually proposing.

The six measures were:

• Training Prevention Act: prohibited unauthorised military training and drilling. The proposed penalties could include imprisonment and, for those conducting the training, potentially transportation.
• Seizure of Arms Act: allowed magistrates in specified areas to search for and seize weapons suspected of being held for unlawful purposes.
• Seditious Meetings Prevention Act: imposed tighter controls on political meetings, particularly large meetings concerned with political grievances and petitions.
• Blasphemous and Seditious Libels Act: strengthened punishment for publications judged blasphemous or seditious.
• Newspaper and Stamp Duties Act: extended stamp duties to cheap political publications, making the radical press harder and more expensive to distribute.
• Misdemeanours Act: altered procedures so certain prosecutions could be brought to trial more quickly.

Key Takeaways

• Historical Legacy of Struggle: Key historical events like Peterloo (1819) and the Tolpuddle Martyrs (1834) demonstrate that worker rights were won through sacrifice, not state generosity.
• Repressive Legislation Warning: Historical state overreach, such as the post-Peterloo Six Acts, illustrates how governments can restrict assembly, speech, and radical publishing during crises.
• Defending Peaceful Demonstration: WEU highlights the necessity of protecting workers' right to organize, demonstrate, and speak out without facing disproportionate legal treatment.
• Equitable Justice System: Public trust requires a balanced legal system that protects victims while safeguarding citizens' fundamental democratic freedoms to challenge policy.