{{short description, Former trade union of the United Kingdom
The General Union of Tinplate Workers 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 sheet metal workers 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 ...
.
The union was founded in 1862 in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, bringing together nine local societies of tin plate workers from across
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
. Initially, its main aim was to help skilled tin plate workers find employment. However, it grew rapidly, and from 1871, it began offering welfare services, including pensions, and payments to unemployed members, and to the families of members who died. It accepted only members who had completed an
apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a Tradesman, trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners ...
in the trade, and charged older members higher joining fees.Arthur Marsh and Victoria Ryan, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions'', vol.2, pp.110, 120
By 1876, the union was based in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, and most of its membership were connected with shipbuilding. It opposed
piece work
Piece work (or piecework) is any type of employment in which a worker is paid a fixed piece rate for each unit produced or action performed, regardless of time.
Context
When paying a worker, employers can use various methods and combinations of ...
, largely because the jobs done by its members were too varied to construct a single agreed price list.Sidney and
Beatrice Webb
Martha Beatrice Webb, Baroness Passfield, (née Potter; 22 January 1858 – 30 April 1943) was an English sociologist, economist, socialist, labour historian and social reformer. It was Webb who coined the term ''collective bargaining''. She ...
, ''Industrial Democracy'', p.300
In 1892, the union changed its name to the General Union of Braziers and Sheet Metal Workers and, the following year, was successful enough to make its post of secretary a full-time one. It joined the
Federation of Engineering and Shipbuilding Trades
The Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions (CSEU), often known as the Confed is a trade union confederation in the United Kingdom.
History
The confederation was founded in December 1890 as the Federation of Engineering and Shipbuil ...
in 1897, and the National Amalgamated Sheet Metal Workers' and Braziers' Society in 1900. It merged with
National Amalgamated Association of Tin Plate Workers of Great Britain The National Amalgamated Association of Tin Plate Workers of Great Britain was a trade union representing sheet metal workers in the United Kingdom.
The union was founded in 1876 in Wolverhampton, when the Wolverhampton Tin Plate Workers' Society m ...
and a large number of local unions in 1920 to form the
National Union of Sheet Metal Workers and Braziers
The National Union of Sheet Metal Workers, Coppersmiths, Heating and Domestic Engineers was a trade union in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
History
The union was founded in July 1920 as the National Union of Sheet Metal Workers and Braziers wit ...