Samuel Shaftoe
Samuel Shaftoe (25 May 1841 – 27 November 1911) was a
Born in York, Shaftoe moved with his family to Kingston upon Hull when he was eleven, leaving school and becoming an apprentice basket maker. He joined the Basket Makers' trade union in 1862, and took part in a strike two years later, but lost his job as a result, and moved to Bradford to find work. There, he played a prominent part in a six-month long strike, and was then elected as the local secretary of the Yorkshire Skep and Basket Makers' Union.[1]
Shaftoe immediately began campaigning for the union to expand its remit and provide benefits for members who were unable to work due to illness, and for families of deceased members. This was agreed, and in 1868 he was appointed as the union's general secretary. He led two strikes, both successful, resulting in increases in wages and a maximum nine-hour day.[1]
In 1872,
By 1905, Shaftoe was suffering poor health and struggling for an income. The trades council persuaded the town council to pay him a small pension until his death in 1911.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d Keith Laybourn and John Saville, Dictionary of Labour Biography, vol.III, pp.158-160