In
1886 trade unionists in Sheffield were
accused of using arson and murder to intimidate non-unionists. The
image of trade unions was also damaged by the revelation that William
Broadhead, secretary of the Grinders Union, had paid £20 to a
man to murder an employer. The leaders of the Trade
Union Congress claimed that these incidents were just the work
of a few individuals and that the best way to improve industrial relations
was to remove the legal constraints upon the status and funds of unions.
As a result of the Sheffield Outrages
the leader of the Conservative government,
Earl of Derby, decided to set up a Royal
Commission on Trade Unions.
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