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Child Labour in the Canton of Glarus in the 19th Century

  • Writer: Patrick
    Patrick
  • Jan 27
  • 3 min read

How a small canton laid the foundation for worker protection



Anyone exploring the history of child labour in Switzerland at the Swiss National Museum in Zurich today will inevitably come across the canton of Glarus. The region was not only a centre of early industrialisation, but also a laboratory for social reform, where fundamental protective rights for workers – and children – were formulated for the first time.

 

Child labour between everyday life and coercion

 

In the early 19th century, child labour was part of everyday life. In Glarus, children worked in households, in agriculture and, above all, in the textile industry. Most of the work was initially done at home: children wound yarn, threaded, reeled or cleaned silk. This work was considered family assistance and was closely linked to the survival of households.

 

Industrialisation brought about a fundamental change in this situation. Factories replaced home-based work, production times were extended and the pace of work intensified. Children were now systematically employed as workers – often not by choice, but out of economic necessity.

 

Factory work and exploitation

 

In the Glarus textile and fabric printing factories, some children worked from the age of six. Working conditions were harsh: stuffy rooms, machine noise, risk of accidents and extremely long working days of up to 16 hours. School attendance took a back seat or was abandoned altogether.

 

Children were cheap, adaptable and easy to control – qualities that made them attractive to factory owners. This crossed a line: family labour became industrial exploitation.

 

The Glarus Factory Act of 1864 – a pioneering act

 

It is remarkable that Glarus, a heavily industrialised canton, was one of the first to respond to these abuses. In 1864, the canton passed its own factory law, which was far ahead of its time. It limited working hours, protected children and young people, and recognised for the first time that the state had a responsibility for working conditions in private companies.

 

This law was revolutionary: it challenged the hitherto almost sacrosanct freedom of contract – the idea that employers and employees could freely negotiate their working conditions without state interference. However, this freedom proved to be an illusion, especially for children.

 

The Federal Factory Act of 1877

 

This formed the basis for the Federal Factory Act of 1877, which drew heavily on the experiences in Glarus. It was a milestone in Swiss social history and a groundbreaking law on worker protection:

  • Prohibition of child labour under the age of 14

  • Limitation of daily working hours to 11 hours (the Glarus law still allowed 12 hours)

  • Prohibition of night work and Sunday work for women and young people

 

For the first time, the federal government actively intervened in the world of work and enforced binding protection standards. The state assumed responsibility where economic constraints left people – especially children – unprotected.

 

Compulsory schooling and a new understanding of childhood

 

Almost at the same time, compulsory schooling was introduced in 1874. Education gained in importance, and childhood was increasingly understood as a separate phase of life – no longer just preparation for the world of work. But even after 1877, it took decades for child labour to actually disappear. Poverty, control and placement in foster care continued to shape the lives of many children for a long time to come.

 

Why Glarus is still important today

 

The history of child labour in the canton of Glarus clearly shows that social progress cannot be taken for granted. It was precisely where exploitation was particularly visible that courageous reforms emerged. Glarus was not only part of the problem – it was part of the solution.

 

The debates at that time about working hours, child protection and state responsibility continue to have an impact today. They remind us that economic progress without social safeguards comes at the expense of the weakest members of society – then as now.

 

 

Group photo of the workforce at a furniture factory in Glarus, 1903 / Photographer unknown. Swiss National Museum 



Sources

 

Media release 'Born of necessity. Working children', Swiss National Museum;  www.landesmuseum.ch/arbeitende-kinder

 

Thomas Gull: "Child labour", in: Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (HLS), version dated 09.03.2015.  With numerous further references. Available online at

 

Historical Glarus Factory Act and occupational safety – Presentation on "History of Social Security" – Describes the Glarus Factory Act of 1864 and its influence on the Federal Factory Act of 1877 with clear legal content.  Available online at

 

 

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