The Matchgirls

In June 1888 Annie Besant went to a speech on female labour at a Fabian Society meeting in London. She was horrified when she heard about the pay and conditions of the women working at the Bryant & May match factory. When she wrote an article in her newspaper, The Link, the company attempted to force the workers to sign a statement that they were happy with their working conditions. When a group of women refused to sign the organisers were sacked. As a result 1400 women at Bryant & May went on strike becoming the first strike by organized workers to gain national publicity. This is their story.

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