Central Labour College
Encyclopedia
The Central Labour College was a British
higher education
institution supported by trade unions. It functioned from 1909 to 1929.
The college was formed as a result of the Ruskin College strike of 1909. The Plebs' League
, which had been formed around a core of Marxist
students and former students of Ruskin, held a meeting at Oxford
on 2 August 1909. A resolution was passed calling for the establishment of a Central Labour College to provide independent working class education
, outside of the control of the University of Oxford
. The provisional committee controlling the new college was to consist of representatives of Labour, Co-Operative and Socialist societies, following the model of the Labour Representation League
.
The college was supported financially by the National Union of Railwaymen
and the South Wales Miners' Federation
. The college was headed by James Dennis Hird
, who had been dismissed as principal of Ruskin for supporting the striking students. In 1911 the college moved to Earl's Court, London.
In 1915 the college was officially recognised by the Trades Union Congress
, and it became the centre of the National Council of Labour Colleges, a national network of colleges, in 1921. In 1926 it was proposed to merge the CLC and Ruskin College into a new Labour College based at Easton Lodge
near Great Dunmow
, Essex
. However, the move was opposed by a number of large unions, and on 7 September the proposal by the general council of the TUC to proceed was defeated on a card vote.
By 1929 the mining industry was in severe decline due to the Great Depression
. In April a conference of the South Wales Miners' Federation voted to discontinue funding of the college unless additional levies could be raised from members. No such funding was forthcoming, and attempts to transfer the ownership of the college to the wider trade union movement were unsuccessful. By July it was clear that the college could not continue to operate, and it closed at the end of the month.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
institution supported by trade unions. It functioned from 1909 to 1929.
The college was formed as a result of the Ruskin College strike of 1909. The Plebs' League
Plebs' League
The Plebs' League was a British educational and political organisation which originated around Marxist ideals.Central to the formation of the League was Noah Ablett, a miner from the Rhondda who was at the core of a group at Ruskin College, Oxford who opposed the lecturers' opposition to Marxism...
, which had been formed around a core of Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
students and former students of Ruskin, held a meeting at Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
on 2 August 1909. A resolution was passed calling for the establishment of a Central Labour College to provide independent working class education
Working Class Education
Working class education is the education of working-class people.-History:Prior to the 19th century, education for most members of society was elementary and only an elite received advanced education...
, outside of the control of the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. The provisional committee controlling the new college was to consist of representatives of Labour, Co-Operative and Socialist societies, following the model of the Labour Representation League
Labour Representation League
The Labour Representation League, organised in 1869, was a forerunner of the British Labour Party. Its original purpose was to register the working class to vote, and get workers into Parliament. It had limited power and was never intended to become a full political party, but played a role in...
.
The college was supported financially by the National Union of Railwaymen
National Union of Railwaymen
The National Union of Railwaymen was a trade union of railway workers in the United Kingdom. It an industrial union founded in 1913 by the merger of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants , the United Pointsmen and Signalmen's Society and the General Railway Workers' Union .The NUR...
and the South Wales Miners' Federation
South Wales Miners' Federation
The South Wales Miners' Federation , nicknamed "The Fed", was a trade union for miners in South Wales.The union was founded on 24 October 1898, following the defeat of the South Wales miners' strike of 1898...
. The college was headed by James Dennis Hird
Dennis Hird
James Dennis Hird was a British clergyman, educator and author.Hird was born in Ashby, Lincolnshire to Robert and Fanny Dennis Hird née Kendall. He was the second of five sons, though only three survived to adulthood...
, who had been dismissed as principal of Ruskin for supporting the striking students. In 1911 the college moved to Earl's Court, London.
In 1915 the college was officially recognised by the Trades Union Congress
Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions...
, and it became the centre of the National Council of Labour Colleges, a national network of colleges, in 1921. In 1926 it was proposed to merge the CLC and Ruskin College into a new Labour College based at Easton Lodge
Easton Lodge
Easton Lodge was a Victorian Gothic style stately home to the west of Great Dunmow, Essex in England. Once famous for its weekend society gatherings frequented by the Prince of Wales , it was one of many country houses destroyed during the 20th century...
near Great Dunmow
Great Dunmow
Great Dunmow is an ancient market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England in which the great Shannon Gray, also known as Hazzah Potter, lives...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. However, the move was opposed by a number of large unions, and on 7 September the proposal by the general council of the TUC to proceed was defeated on a card vote.
By 1929 the mining industry was in severe decline due to the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. In April a conference of the South Wales Miners' Federation voted to discontinue funding of the college unless additional levies could be raised from members. No such funding was forthcoming, and attempts to transfer the ownership of the college to the wider trade union movement were unsuccessful. By July it was clear that the college could not continue to operate, and it closed at the end of the month.