Careers for the unskilled in the Great Eastern Railway Company, 1870-1913

One of the most significant changes in the labour market in the twentieth century was the rise of the internal labour market. Its origins can be found in the nineteenth century, particularly in the large service companies such as banks and the railway companies. By studying the internal labour dynamics of the Great Eastern Railway Company (hereafter GER) in the period before the First World War it is hoped that insight can be gained into the workings of an early internal labour market and the implications that had for individual workers within the company. For example, is there evidence of a structured labour market within the company? Were there promotion ‘fast tracks’? How was ‘bad behaviour’ punished? What was the relationship between job levels and wage compensation?[...]