Snapshot: Women and Red Clydeside

Changing role of women Scottish women disproportionate in doubling of trade union membership, 1914–20. National Federation of Women’s Workers. Clyde Rent Strikes, 1915. Clothing industry strikes, 1917. Active female participation in the massive 100,000 May Day demonstration, 1917. Anti-war Movement.

Rent Strikes Rent Strikes: led by Mary Barbour, Agnes Dollen, Helen Crawfurd and Jessie Stephens. 25,000 households refused to pay rent. Stopped evictions. Surrounded Glasgow Sherrif Court and forced the suspension of legal action against the rent strikers. One of the most successful actions on Red Clydeside.

The Rent Strike story Real pressure on housing in Glasgow as a result of industrial expansion. Poor conditions of tenements; mostly one- or two-roomed flats. Landlords increased rents and evicted those who could not meet the new demands, including families whose male wage earner was away fighting. Rising price of food increased hardship for families.

The Rent Strike story 1915 response from trade unions, the ILP and the South Govan (Glasgow) Women’s Housing Association, which was created to protect tenants from rent rises. Secretary was Helen Crawfurd, a suffragette and anti-war campaigner, who along with others, such as Mary Barbour, Agnes Dollan and Jessie Stephens, took on the landlords. First direct action was the non-payment of rent increases in Govan, Glasgow. Resistance took the form of making it impossible for the sheriff’s officers to carry out their evictions. When they were faced with court action the first rent strike took place in May 1915. Organised by women very effectively; accused landlords of being anti- patriotic. Supported by employers, who did not want to see production affected.

The Rent Strike story By November the women were supported by men taking wildcat strike action at Fairfields and Beardmore’s. Crowds gathered in support of 18 tenants who were due in court for refusing to pay rent increases. Government rushed through a Rent Restriction Act, which froze rents at pre-war levels and increases were only allowed if improvements had been made to the property. Agitation against rent increases also took place in Aberdeen and Dundee.

Anti-war movement Not all agreed with the war. Helen Crawfurd, one of the leaders of the rent strikes, on 10 June 1916, launched the Women’s Peace Crusade: the first concerted attempt to involve people in all social classes to oppose the war. By summer 1917 there were branches all over Scotland and it attracted 14,000 protesters to a mass meeting held on Glasgow Green. Other organisations included the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, founded by Chrystal Macmillan, a graduate of Edinburgh University.