Blind Workers in Specialised Workshops and Labour Movements (France and Spain, 1900-1939)

This article examines the working conditions and labour movements of visually-impaired workers in workshops between the early 20th century and 1939, with a comparative perspective between France and Spain. These workers were generally considered to be recipients of work-related assistance, deserving pay in line with their lower productivity. After presenting the diversity of working conditions in French and Spanish workshops, we analyse the labour mobilisations of these workers to improve their living and working conditions, or to challenge their forced unemployment. We discuss the different modes of action chosen (strikes, petitions), relations with trade unions, and the mixed outcomes of these local struggles.