Amalgamated Textile Workers' Union
The Amalgamated Textile Workers' Union (ATWU) was a trade union in Great Britain.[1]
 | |
| Merged into | General, Municipal, Boilermakers and Allied Trades Union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1 January 1974 |
| Dissolved | 1985 |
| Headquarters | Textile Union Centre, 5 Caton Street, Rochdale |
| Location | |
Members | 19,500 (1983) |
| Affiliations | TUC, ITGLWF |
History
The union was founded in 1974, when the Amalgamated Weavers' Association merged with the National Union of Textile and Allied Workers.[2] The Amalgamated Textile Warehousemen's Association developed close links with the new union, and the two shared a general secretary.[3]
In 1983, the important Burnley, Nelson, Rossendale and District Textile Workers' Union decided to leave the ATWU, and argued that as its largest affiliate, it should be entitled to a proportionate share of the union's funds. The ATWU disagreed, and the disputed went to the High Court of England and Wales, which rejected the Burnley and Nelson union's claim.[4]
With widespread redundancies in the industry, the union lost two-thirds of its members before it merged into the General, Municipal, Boilermakers and Allied Trades Union in 1985.[5] Based in Rochdale, the union's final general secretary was Jack Brown.[1]
Affiliates
By 1982, the union had the following affiliates:[6]
- Blackburn and District Weavers', Winders' and Warpers' Association
- Bolton and District Union of Textile and Allied Workers
- Bolton and District Weavers', Winders' and Warpers' Association
- Burnley, Nelson, Rossendale and District Textile Workers' Union
- Colne and Craven Textile Workers' Association
- Oldham Provincial Union of Textile and Allied Workers
- National Union of Textile and Allied Workers, Rochdale and Districts
- Northern Textile and Allied Workers' Union
- North Lancashire and Cumbria Textile Workers' Association
- North West Lancashire, Durham and Cumbria Textile Workers' Union
- Rochdale and Todmorden District of the Amalgamated Textile Workers' Union
- Southern Area
- Staff Section
- Wigan
Leadership
General Secretaries
- 1974: Fred Hague and Joe King
- 1975: Fred Hague
- 1976: Jack Brown
Presidents
- 1974: Jim Browning
- 1976: Joe Quinn
- 1984: Albert Hilton
References
- G. P. and S. P. A. Henderson, Directory of British Associations & Associations in Ireland (8th Edition), p.7
- "Amalgamated Textile Workers' Union Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine", Archives Hub
- Arthur Marsh and Victoria Ryan, Historical Directory of Trade Unions, vol.4, pp.186-187
- Honeyball, Simon (2012). Honeyball and Bowers' Textbook on Employment Law (12 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 345. ISBN 019963985X.
- Gary N. Chalson, Union mergers in hard times: the view from five countries, pp.91-92
- Marsh, Arthur (1984). Trade Union Handbook (3 ed.). Aldershot: Gower. pp. 350–352. ISBN 0566024268.
