| AdminHistory | On 22 November 1900 nearly 3,000 men walked out of the Penrhyn Quarry, which was owned by Lord Penrhyn. The quarrymen were locked out for three years and the community of Bethesda, Gwynedd, never fully recovered.
Previously, in 1896, the quarrymen had been locked out for about eleven months because of a dispute between the workers and the owners, concerning the minimum wage. On that occasion, the workers were forced to return to work without gaining any concessions.
On 11 June 1901, four hundred of the men returned to work, receiving a sovereign each and the promise of a 5% pay increase. This caused some anxiety in the area, and bitterness turned to violence at the end of 1901 when pub windows, and those of the men that had returned to work, were smashed. Signs were placed in windows saying 'No scabs live in this house'. Soon afterwards the Chief Constable of Caernarfonshire sent troops into Bethesda, and a Justice of the Peace arrived to read the Riot Act to the striking men.
The quarrymen returned to work in November 1903 without resolving the main issue of Union recognition. |