1910
Rouse, Ye Women
| Tune: | Men of Harlech |
| Lyrics: | Unknown |
Rouse, ye women, long enduring,
Beat no iron, blow no bellows
Till ye win the fight, ensuring
Pay that is your due.
Through years uncomplaining,
Hope and strength were waning,—
Your industry a beggar’s fee,
And meagre fare was gaining.
Now a Trade Board is created,
See your pain and dearth abated,
And the Sweater’s wiles checkmated
Parliament’s decree!
Rouse, ye women, rouse, around you
Towns and Cities cry, “God speed you,”
Rouse, shake off the fears that bound you,
Women, rouse. Be true.
At length the light is breaking,
The Sweater’s throne is shaking,
Oh, do your part, with all your heart,
A sweeter world in making!
Stand together, strong and splendid,
In your Union till you’ve ended
Tyranny, and with toil blended
Beauty, Joy and Art.
In 1910, a minimum wage (two and half pence an hour) was introduced for workers in the chain-making industry. Employers refused to pay. The National Federation of Women Workers called a strike. The song castigates the employer (the ‘Sweater’), urges support for the union, and imagines a victory in ‘Beauty, Joy and Art’. After ten weeks of industrial action, all employers had agreed to pay the minimum wage.
| Cause: | Anti-capitalist | Collectivist |
| Theme: | Impact of Change | Rights |
| Addressed to: | Voters | Workers |
| Target of Protest: | Bosses | Industry |
| Proposal/Solution: | Strike |