The chronicle of Eger Tobacco Factory

The cigar factory

Many children were employed; 91 children worked in the factory according to 1899 figures, 82 of which were between 12 and 14, and 9 under 12. An interview has come down to us, made on the 75 anniversary of the founding of the factory, with a certain Mrs Sándor Nógrádi, alias Auntie Teri, 85 at the time. She relates how she joined the factory at the age of twelve in 1898. She had to put two forms on her seat in order to reach the working surface. Hours of work began at 6:00 a.m. Factory women had to be punctual, the porter rang his bell and anyone outside the factory gates at that hour was turned back and would lose that day’s wages.

Women were left to perform household duties in the evening and at night which was when they did their washing at the hot springs of Eger. The soulless drudgery, the general feeling of confinement, and factory discipline favoured the vine growers. Hence the fact that Mr Boltizár introduced strict measures. In their contracts workers undertook not to resign within their first year of employment. If this agreement was violated they were fetched by the police and taken to the factory and even faced a fine. Vine growers, however, would not give up that easily. They kept egging on the workers to quit, and made disparaging remarks about factory wages. This influencing of factory workers’ feelings was enhanced by the agitation of the local socialists, and the rather successful work of itinerant agitators from Debrecen. As a result a group of factory women organized a demonstration on 10 May 1904. The situation became so tense that the Deputy Lieutenant had four gendarmes deployed outside the factory to prevent any disorder. No serious incident occurred eventually, and soon the fight over workers drew to a close. The wine region did not come out a loser, the factory, however, won. It won because it firmly rooted itself among the famous vines of Eger.