All in it together? Organising musicians in the First World War
21
ALL IN IT TOGETHER? ORGANISING MUSICIANS IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR JOHN WILLIAMSON UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW 31 ST AUGUST 2014
-
Upload
john-williamson -
Category
Documents
-
view
192 -
download
0
Transcript of All in it together? Organising musicians in the First World War
ALL IN IT TOGETHER?
ORGANISING
MUSICIANS IN THE
FIRST WORLD WAR
JOHN WILLIAMSON
UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW
31ST AUGUST 2014
INTRODUCTION: 4 PARTS
CONTEXT: emergence and growth of Amalgamated Musicians’ Union (AMU)
TRADE UNIONS AND THE WAR: changing attitudes and influence on workers
THE AMU & THE MUSIC PROFESSION: how the AMU managed the disputes within the profession over matters of pay and competition
OUTCOMES: reorganisation and perennial issues
ORGANISING MUSICIANS BEFORE
THE WAR
PRE C.19TH: Guilds, Fellowships and Brotherhoods offered professional status and benevolence
By the mid-1800s: industrialisation + demand for entertainment = more musical work but poor working conditions. Catalyst for workers in music profession becoming more organised.
(Incorporated) Society of Musicians formed in 1882; Union of Graduates in Music (1893)
ORGANISING MUSICIANS BEFORE
THE WAR
AMU formed by Joe Williams in 1893 in Manchester
“a protecting union . . .that will protect us from
amateurs, unscrupulous employers and ourselves”
Orchestral Association formed in London in 1893 –
not a trade union, but many of the same aims.
Still opposition from established music profession: “no
support from this journal” (The Musical News, Nov.
1894)
ORGANISING MUSICIANS BEFORE
THE WAR
BUT – both organisations grew rapidly – AMU has
8000 members by 1914 – by far the largest musicians’
organisation.
SHARED ISSUES (pay and conditions, competition
from non-members) but CONFLICT between AMU and
LOA – lack of unity even within organised part of music
profession
TRADE UNIONS AND THE WAR
Competing internal and external influences on the
AMU.
External influence from the TUC:
dropping of opposition to War
industrial truce: “closing any disputes and in
preventing the commencement of new disputes in
present circumstances”
TRADE UNIONS AND THE WAR
Hutt: “a decisive break for the trade union movement”
Webb and Webb: unions became “part of the social
machinery of the State”
Wrigley: “a massive boost to collective bargaining”
AMU / Williams were extremely supportive of the War
AMU, INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS,
COMPETITION IN DURING WAR
3 issues - pay, competition from (i) military musicians
and (ii) foreign musicians
Pay: Williams agreed to pay cuts with major
employers on the outbreak of War.
Protest from branches about acting unconstitutionally
and cuts when it became clear that work was returning
to normal after initial disruption cause by War
AMU, INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS,
COMPETITION IN DURING WAR
War was to present more opportunities for musical
work – market for musical work was recalibrated.
“The Union will long have cause to think itself lucky
that the General Secretary acted as an autocrat in the
crisis” (Musicians’ Report and Journal)
AMU, INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS,
COMPETITION IN DURING WAR
Military musicians had been seen as a threat since the formation of the AMU:
“civilian musicians have to pay for their tuition, their own instruments, have to support themselves and their families and contribute their mite towards the support of soldiers . . .military bandsmen are taught free have their instruments paid for, and, being soldiers, are provided for” (AMU Monthly Report, Feb 1895)
AMU, INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS,
COMPETITION IN DURING WAR
During the War, the displacement of civilian musicians
by bandsmen was cause of much AMU complaint /
rhetoric but to little avail . . .War Office sees “no reason
to interfere in the matter”
AMU, INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS,
COMPETITION IN DURING WAR
‘foreign’ musicians: German and Hungarian
musicians returned home at outbreak of War; refugees
from Belgium and France arrived in early stages of
War. Domestic musicians feared jobs would be taken
by refugees.
“antipathy to foreigners” and “xenophobia” evident to
varying degrees in assorted branch / district motions to
Union’s executive.
AMU, INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS,
COMPETITION IN DURING WAR
Williams set out support for “comrades in arms” from Belgium and France – solidarity of unionists overriding nationality, when “not injuring our own members’ interests”
The Union finally agreed to allow foreign musicians to join but “subjects of the Central Powers and their allies shall not be allowed to become members of our Union. Exceptions may be made with the consent of the EC in special cases where men have been good members of the Union.”
POST-WAR OUTCOMES
Williams: “if one considers the tremendous upheaval
caused by the War, our profession has not been
affected to any serious extent.”
AMU (& Williams) played a considerable part in
ensuring that was the case.
Post War integration was easier than expected thanks
to “seemingly limitless opportunities.”
POST-WAR OUTCOMES
Williams: “if one considers the tremendous upheaval
caused by the War, our profession has not been
affected to any serious extent.”
AMU (& Williams) played a considerable part in
ensuring that was the case.
Post War integration was easier than expected thanks
to “seemingly limitless opportunities” in profession.
POST-WAR OUTCOMES
AMU continued to grow with the profession and merged with what was the Orchestral Association in 1921 to form Musicians’ Union
BUT optimism about better relations with employers proved to be unfulfilled: pay and conditions did not dramatically improve and threat to employment from Military musicians and from ‘Americans and other Alien musicians’ remained.
AMU survived the War but problems facing it as an organisation were unresolved and new ones to emerge . . .
POST-WAR OUTCOMES
