Taff Vale judgment

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Taff Vale judgment, 1902. Over 1,000 employees of the Taff Vale railway went on strike in 1901, and Beasley, the general manager, sought an injunction against their union, the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants; this was first granted and then dismissed on appeal. However, the company's appeal to the House of Lords was successful, the union was sued for damages, and in December 1902 the Taff Vale Railway Company was paid £23,000. With costs, the union paid a total of £42,000. A crippling blow to trade unionism, this judgment was one reason why unions supported the infant Labour Representation Committee.

John Butt