by Dave Franklin

Created on: April 30, 2007   Last Updated: August 25, 2008

The power of organised work forces has long been known. Ever since Egyptian work gangs put down tools to complain about the wages, food and make up that they received the idea that there is power and safety in numbers has been well proven. I will qualify that by saying that make up was worn by the ancient Egyptian artisan as an artistically applied sun block and in no way am implying that there was anything less than manly about the builders of those ancient tombs and monuments. In a culture that flourished on mystery school, cult groups and vying religions it was only natural that workers would also organise themselves along the same lines. But it was not until the medieval period when population had increased significantly, trade links were wider established and building had reached a major scale that the power of the workingman came into its own. The medieval guild served many purposes.

Guilds became an integral part of urban life in medieval Europe, they were highly organised bodies that held a certain amount of autonomy outside the civic government, were highly organised and like the labour movements of modern times guaranteed certain rights and privileges for their members. It was probably merchants that first organised themselves into collective guilds, mutual protection could be found through safety in numbers for caravans on the trade roads, the costs of hiring guards could be shared etc. Before long though the power of the guild meant that they could influence the prices in a market and ensure that all transactions were subject to their control.

Very soon Artisans began to adopt the same idea and bakers and cobblers, stonemasons, smiths and carpenters, fletchers and hoopers and a myriad of other trades would evolve into powerful guild structures. Like the existing guilds and trade unions of today, guilds protected the customer against shoddy workmanship and goods but they also offered protection to its members. Job security, training and work placements were found within the guild system and like today, compensation and funeral donations for accidental injury or death was provided, pension schemes were first introduced, dowries for daughters of poorer members and the first non-monastic controlled schools were set up under the growing guild system.

The benefit of these guild organisations to society is easily seen. Due to the more harmonious nature of the craft and trade businesses, better goods were produced, technologies were further improved and the

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