The Clothing and Allied Trades Union of Australia (CATU) was an Australian
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 ( ...
which existed between 1907 and 1992.
[Smith, Bruce A. created 20 April 2001, last modified 6 August 2010. Trade Union Entry: Clothing and Allied Trades Union of Australia. "http://www.atua.org.au/biogs/ALE0332b.htm". ]Australian Trade Union Archives
Australian Trade Union Archives is a website intended to be an online resource for archived and present day material related to industrial organisations in Australia.
It went online in 2002.
It is a joint project of the Australian Science and Tec ...
. Retrieved 11 October 2011. The CATU represented workers employed in the manufacture of clothing and manchester goods, including pressers, cutters and machinists.
[Huntley, Pat and Huntley, Ian. (1985). "''Inside Australia's Top 100 Trade Union''". Northbridge:Ian Huntley Pty. Ltd. ] Approximately 85 percent of the union's membership was female.
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Formation
The CATU was originally formed in 1907 as the Federated Clothing Trades of the Commonwealth of Australia.[ The union was created through the merger of a large number of small state- and craft-based trade unions which had been active in Australia since the mid-nineteenth century, including the ]Cutters and Trimmers Union of New South Wales
Cutter may refer to:
Tools
* Bolt cutter
* Box cutter, aka Stanley knife, a form of utility knife
* Cigar cutter
* Cookie cutter
* Glass cutter
* Meat cutter
* Milling cutter
* Paper cutter
* Side cutter
* Cutter, a type of hydraulic rescue t ...
and the Tailors' Trade Protection Society.[ These unions primarily represented skilled, male craftsmen in what was already a largely female industry. This created an ongoing tension within the CATU between the need to represent the whole of the workforce within the industry, and the greater level of organisation and distinction within some male-dominated trade occupations.][Ellem, B. L. (1986). "A History of the Clothing and Allied Trades Union". Doctor of Philosophy thesis, Department of History, University of Wollongong]
retrieved 11 October 2011.
Amalgamation
During the 1970s and 80s the removal of tariff protections for manufactured goods in Australia, automation of production processes, and an increase in the availability of cheap imports from Asia greatly reduced the size of the workforce in the Australian clothing industry
Clothing industry or garment industry summarizes the types of trade and industry along the production and value chain of clothing and garments, starting with the textile industry (producers of cotton, wool, fur, and synthetic fibre), embellishme ...
.[ This, combined with a policy of union rationalisation pursued by the ]ACTU
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), originally the Australasian Council of Trade Unions, is the largest peak body representing workers in Australia. It is a national trade union centre of 46 affiliated trade union, unions and eight t ...
, put pressure on the CATU to effect a merger with other unions in the apparel industry.[ In 1992 the union merged with the ]Amalgamated Footwear and Textile Workers' Union of Australia
Amalgamated Footwear and Textile Workers' Union of Australia was a short-lived Australian trade union, which existed between 1987 and 1992.Smith, Bruce A. created 20 April 2001, last modified 6 August 2010. Trade Union Entry: Amalgamated Footwea ...
to form the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia
The Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia (TCFUA) was a trade union in Australia. It represented a wide range of workers from the textile, clothing, footwear and felt hatting industries.
The TCFUA was formed 1 July 1992 by the mer ...
.[
]
Further reading
*Ellem, Bradon (1989
''In women's hands?:a history of clothing trades unionism in Australia''
Kensington, NSW, Australia: New South Wales University Press.
"My Life in the Ragtrade'Has just been published and tells the story of the once great clothing industry and retail stores we had in Australia. The history of stores and manufacturers is covered and some references were from Wilkipedia.
References
{{Reflist
External links
tcfua.org.au
The website of the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia, the successor to the CATU.
Defunct trade unions of Australia
Clothing industry trade unions
Trade unions established in 1907
Trade unions disestablished in 1992
1907 establishments in Australia
1992 disestablishments in Australia