Iron and Steel Trades Confederation
Encyclopedia
The Iron and Steel Trades Confederation was a British
trade union
for metal-workers and allied groups. It was formed on 1 January 1917 as a merger of existing steel-workers' unions and it is now part of Community
.
This was in response to both the difficulty of mergers under the previous legislation (requiring two-third majorities in favor in all participant unions), as well as a desire to push craft unions into general trade unions to cover entire industries
Trade unions that have amalgamated with or transferred engagements to the ISTC and year it occurred;
The resultant union was named the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation. Both the Amalgamated Association of Steel and Iron Workers of Great Britain and the Tin and Sheet Millmens' Association balloted their members unsuccessfully in 1916 but were later successful. The Wire Workers Union amalgameted in 1922 but left in 1924, rejoining in 1991.
In later years the union also built up representation amongst workers in the electronics industry, plastics and glass
, the manufacture of kitchen furniture, carpet production, and call centres. Expansion was especially strong in areas with major steel industry installations.
Responding to the contraction of the British manufacturing sector, the ISTC expanded into new areas in 2000. Both the NLBD and PLCWTWU pre-dating the ISTC having been formed as a trade unions in 1899 and 1866 respectively.
In 2004, the ISTC merged with the National Union of Knitwear, Footwear & Apparel Trades
(KFAT) to form a new organisation called Community
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
for metal-workers and allied groups. It was formed on 1 January 1917 as a merger of existing steel-workers' unions and it is now part of Community
Community (trade union)
Community is a UK trade union representing workers in the iron and steel, domestic appliance manufacturing, clothing, textiles, footwear and betting industries as well as workers in voluntary organisations, workshops for visually impaired and disabled people, community-care providers and housing...
.
History
In 1917 Minister of Labour, John Hodge passed the Trade Unions' Amalgamation Act, which simplified the process where by Trade Unions merged, amalgamated or federated.This was in response to both the difficulty of mergers under the previous legislation (requiring two-third majorities in favor in all participant unions), as well as a desire to push craft unions into general trade unions to cover entire industries
Trade unions that have amalgamated with or transferred engagements to the ISTC and year it occurred;
- British Steel Smelters, Mill, Iron and Tinplate Workers (1917)
- Associated Iron and Steel Workers of Great Britain (1917)
- National Steel Workers' Association Engineering and Labour League (1917)
- Amalgamated Association of Steel and Iron Workers of Great Britain (1920)
- Tin and Sheet Millmens' Association (1921)
- Wire Workers Union (1922–24, 1991)
- National Union of Blastfurnacemen (1985)
- Power Loom Carpet Weavers and Textile Workers Union (2000)
- National League of the Blind and Disabled (2000)
The resultant union was named the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation. Both the Amalgamated Association of Steel and Iron Workers of Great Britain and the Tin and Sheet Millmens' Association balloted their members unsuccessfully in 1916 but were later successful. The Wire Workers Union amalgameted in 1922 but left in 1924, rejoining in 1991.
In later years the union also built up representation amongst workers in the electronics industry, plastics and glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
, the manufacture of kitchen furniture, carpet production, and call centres. Expansion was especially strong in areas with major steel industry installations.
Responding to the contraction of the British manufacturing sector, the ISTC expanded into new areas in 2000. Both the NLBD and PLCWTWU pre-dating the ISTC having been formed as a trade unions in 1899 and 1866 respectively.
In 2004, the ISTC merged with the National Union of Knitwear, Footwear & Apparel Trades
National Union of Knitwear, Footwear & Apparel Trades
The National Union of Knitwear, Footwear & Apparel Trades was a trade union in the United Kingdom.It was formed in 1991 through the amalgamation of the National Union of Hosiery and Knitwear Workers and the National Union of the Footwear, Leather and Allied Trades...
(KFAT) to form a new organisation called Community
Community (trade union)
Community is a UK trade union representing workers in the iron and steel, domestic appliance manufacturing, clothing, textiles, footwear and betting industries as well as workers in voluntary organisations, workshops for visually impaired and disabled people, community-care providers and housing...
.
General Secretaries
- 1917: Arthur PughArthur PughArthur Pugh was a British trade unionist.Born in Ross-on-Wye, Pugh was apprenticed to a farmer who also worked as a butcher, but soon moved to Neath to work in the steel industry, where he became active in the British Steel Smelters' Association...
- 1937: John Brown
- 1946: Lincoln Evans
- 1953: Harry DouglassHarry DouglassHarry Douglass, Baron Douglass of Cleveland was a British trade unionist.Born in Middlesbrough, Douglass entered work at the age of 13, becoming a steel melter. He immediately joined the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation, and became a member of its executive council in 1933...
- 1967: Dai DaviesDai Davies (trade unionist)David H. Davies , known as Dai Davies, was a British trade unionist and Labour Party official.Born in Beaufort, Ebbw Vale, Davies worked in Ebbw Vale and joined the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation. He was appointed as assistant general secretary in 1953, then general secretary in 1967, serving...
- 1975: Bill Sirs
- 1985: Roy Evans
- 1993: Keith Brookman
- 1999: Michael J. LeahyMichael J. LeahyMichael J. Leahy is the General Secretary of the British Trade Union Community. Leahy was General Secretary of the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation from 1999 until it merged with the National Union of Knitwear, Footwear & Apparel Trades in 2004 to form Community.-Early life:Michael was born...