The Associated Blacksmiths, Forge and Smithy Workers' Society (ABFSWS) was a
trade union
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...
representing metalworkers in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
and
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
.
History
The union was founded in 1857 in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
as the Scottish United Operative Blacksmiths Protection and Friendly Society. In 1872, it became the Associated Blacksmiths of Scotland, but then decided to organise throughout the UK, in 1885 becoming the Associated Blacksmiths' Society. Around 1910s, it became the Associated Blacksmiths and Iron Workers' Society.
[John B. Smethurst and Peter Carter, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions'', vol.6, pp.314-320]
Membership was around 3,000 for many years, but grew rapidly under the leadership of John Thomson in the 1910s. He focused on mergers with smaller unions, bringing in the Combined Smiths of Great Britain and Ireland, the Co-operative Society of Smiths, the National United Society of Smiths and Hammermen, and the United Smiths Trade Union of Ireland. This brought membership up to 13,500 by 1915, and made it the largest union of blacksmiths in the country, ahead of the
Amalgamated Society of Smiths and Strikers
The United Kingdom Society of Amalgamated Smiths and Strikers was a trade union representing foundry workers in the United Kingdom.
The union's origins lay in the Sons of Vulcan Smiths and Strikers, a union representing workers in northern Engl ...
.
In 1963, the union merged with the
Shipconstructors' and Shipwrights' Association
The Shipconstructors' and Shipwrights' Association (SSA) was a trade union representing shipbuilders in the United Kingdom.
History
The union was founded in 1882 as the Associated Society of Shipwrights, by eleven local unions in Scotland and No ...
into the
, which renamed itself as the "Amalgamated Society of Boilermakers, Shipwrights, Blacksmiths and Structural Workers".
Election results
The union sponsored a
Labour Party candidate in 1929.
General Secretaries
:1857: James M'Lean
:1859: David Stuart
:1863:
John Inglis
:1907: John Thomson
:1919: William Lorimer
:1948: William J. Michael
:1960:
Jimmy Jarvie
James Neil Jarvie (12 July 1919 – 10 October 1970) was a British trade unionist who became the leader of the Blacksmiths union.
Jarvie was born in Dunbartonshire. His father was a left-wing coal miner, who was victimised after the UK gener ...
References
External links
Catalogue of the ABFSWS archives held at the
Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick
The Modern Records Centre (MRC) is the specialist archive service of the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, located adjacent to the Central Campus Library. It was established in October 1973 and holds the world's largest archive collecti ...
{{Authority control
1857 establishments in the United Kingdom
Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom
Metal trade unions
Trade unions established in 1857
Trade unions disestablished in 1963