David Thomas, died 10 August 1899 Aged 73, TVR Engine Driver for 34 years. Died suddenly during the TVR strike, gravestone erected by the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, Plot No U832
WELSH RAILWAY STRIKE.
SERIOUS ASPECT OF AFFAIRS.
MILITARY DESPATCHED.
THE USUAL~~UNFOUNDED CALUMNIES.
[By CABLE.]
LONDON. Thursday.
Affairs in connection with the South Wales railway strike are becoming very serious. The men are now resorting to violence, and during last night and today signal-boxes along the lines were set on fire by the strikers and burnt to the ground. The directors and railway commissioners have appealed to the Government for assistance and protection, and have requested that a detachment of Royal Engineers be told off to assist in working the railways, and in preventing the complete stoppage of traffic.
LATER.
The threatening aspect of affairs in connection with the South Wales railway strike has led-to a detachment of military being ordered to proceed from Birmingham to Cardiff. The reports as to the burning of signal-boxes prove to be unfounded. It appears that one signal-box was burned, but the fire was accidental.
Fri 15 Aug 1890 AUSTRALIAN PAPER - THE BARRIER MINER
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JAMES KEIR HARDIE, MACDONALD, RAMSAY & DAVID SHACKLETON IN THE TAFF VALE CASE
The Taff Vale case centred on a brief but bitterly fought strike waged by the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants (ASRS) against the management of the Taff Vale Railway Company in South Wales in August 1900. The company took the ASRS to court and was awarded £23,000 in damages and £19,000 costs. This ruling threatened to destroy the unions' ability to wage effective strike action; the need for political redress led to a sharp increase in the rate of trade union affiliations to the Labour Representation Committee (renamed the Labour Party in 1906). The Trades Disputes Act of 1906 overturned the court decision by legalizing peaceful picketing and restoring union immunity against actions for damages caused by strikes.
See : St. James Encyclopedia of Labor History Worldwide: Major Events in Labor History and Their Impact - published 2003 Gale Group, for full account of the event.
