The slightest infringement was punished by a fine
Excluded from the ‘modern repertoire of contention,’ women chose means of action anchored in the ‘ancient repertoire
These various activities were supposed to keep the miners away from the surrounding villages and limit potential sources of social and political agitation. The miners’ houses were systematically checked by agents of the company who made sure they were properly maintained according to a certain code of conduct. In fact, a few months before the start of the 1884 strike, Emile Basly, secretary of the Anzin miners’ union chamber, raised the alarm concerning their poor living conditions: The dwellings are unhealthy; in addition, miners are confined like flocks of sheep under the control of an agent salaried by the company.
He passes several times a day and, as he must also make a profit for his bosses, he imposes a fine on housewives as soon as he learns that the orders he has given have not been executed
In addition to or instead of their work at the mine surface, where they sorted coal, women took care of the entire family. Read more