ABSTRACT
Mrs. BRIANT said the principal object of Trade Unions was to protect the workers and to try to bring employer and employe together on more direct and sociable terms -not to make quarrels, but to keep peace. There were some bad masters, but there were many good ones, a.nd she was sure that unless unions were abused there was good work to be done by them both for master a.nd man. Workers should try and protect themselves, not only in the rate of wages, but also for the time of being
·out of work. Her Union was the Female Cigar Makers Protective Union of Nottingham and Leicester. It had stood for over two years, and with the exception of one case they had not had a single trouble that had not ended peacefully. More had been paid for out-of-work pay than for disputes. They had had some differences, of course, and several deputations to employers ; but she thought that they would say that things had worked better because of the union, and they had
brought work to a better stage. And no ill-feeling had arisen, as employers from other towns had sent to their union for workwomen. Mrs. Briant then described in detail the origin and development of the above-mentioned union, of which she has been secretary from its beginning. Her speech was vivacious and intere~ti.ng, and characterised. by no little humour, and was listened to with much attention.
