Story: Unions and employee organisations

Printing apprentices

Printing apprentices

Printing unions covered a variety of skilled trades and their members included many boys, employed as apprentices or trainee ‘printer’s devils’. The proportion of adult employees to young people (who could be paid much less) in a particular workforce was a key issue for unions around the beginning of the 20th century. These young men are setting lead type at the office of the Opunake Times newspaper in Taranaki around 1900.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, James McAllister Collection (PAColl-3054)
Reference: 1/1-007881; G
Photograph by James McAllister

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Erik Olssen, 'Unions and employee organisations - Early unions, 1840–1880', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/22251/printing-apprentices (accessed 26 April 2024)

Story by Erik Olssen, published 11 Mar 2010