The Iron and Steel Trades Confederation (ISTC) was a British

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 ( ...

for metal-workers and allied groups, being the largest union in these fields. It was formed on 1 January 1917 as a merger of existing steel-workers' unions and it is now part of

Community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

History

In 1917 Minister of Labour, John Hodge passed the Trade Unions' Amalgamation Act, which simplified the process whereby Trade Unions merged, amalgamated or federated. This was in response to both the difficulty of mergers under the previous legislation (requiring two-thirds majorities in favor in all participant unions), as well as a desire to push craft unions into general trade unions to cover entire industries. However, difficulties still remained. When the first three members federated in 1917, they were legally prevented from accepting any new members. The ISTC focused on industrial negotiations, and new members joined its subsidiary, the British Iron, Steel and Kindred Trades Association (BISAKTA); formally, unions which federated after 1917 joined this association.

University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands (county), West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded i ...

Modern Records Centre,
Iron and Steel Trades Confederation (ISTC), the British Iron, Steel and Kindred Trades Association (BISAKTA) and predecessors, (1865)-2004
. Trade unions that have amalgamated with or transferred engagements to the ISTC or BISAKTA and year it occurred: *

British Steel Smelters, Mill, Iron and Tinplate Workers Union The British Steel Smelters' Association (BSSA) was a trade union representing steel smelters and workers in related trades in Britain. History The union was founded in after a strike at the David Colville and Sons Works in Motherwell in 1885. T ...

(1917) *

Associated Iron and Steel Workers of Great Britain {{Short description, Union of Iron and Steel workers in Great Britain The Associated Iron and Steel Workers of Great Britain was a trade union representing people employed in iron- and steelworks in Britain. The union was founded in 1887, following ...

(1917) * National Steel Workers' Associated Engineering and Labour League (1917) *

Amalgamated Society of Steel and Iron Workers of Great Britain {{short description, Former trade union of the United Kingdom The Amalgamated Society of Steel and Iron Workers of Great Britain was a trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an or ...

(1920) *

Tin and Sheet Millmen's Association The Tin and Sheet Millmen's Association was a trade union representing millmen in the metalworking industry in the United Kingdom. History The union was founded in 1899 following the collapse of the Independent Association of Tinplate Makers. In ...

(1921) *

Wire Workers Union {{Infobox union , name = Wire Workers' Union , location_country= United Kingdom , affiliation =Trades Union Congress , members = 13,000 (1960s) , image = , founded = 1840 , dissolved = 1991 , merged = Iron and ...

(1922–24, 1991) *

National Union of Blastfurnacemen The National Union of Blastfurnacemen, Ore Miners, Coke Workers and Kindred Trades (NUB) was a trade union in England and Wales which existed between 1888 and 1985. It represented process workers in the British iron and steel industry. History ...

(1985) *

Power Loom Carpet Weavers and Textile Workers Union {{Infobox union , name = Power Loom Carpet Weavers' and Textile Workers' Union , location_country= United Kingdom , members = 6,023 (1980){{cite book, last1=Eaton, first1=Jack, last2=Gill, first2=Colin, title=The Trade Union Direct ...

(2000) * National League of the Blind and Disabled (2000) The resultant union was named the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation. Members of the Amalgamated Association of Steel and Iron Workers of Great Britain and of the Tin and Sheet Millmens' Association voted against joining the union, but were later reballoted and voted in favour. The Wire Workers Union joined the confederation in 1922 but left in 1924, rejoining in 1991. Other members left in 1924 to form the

Constructional Engineering Union The Constructional Engineering Union (CEU) was a trade union representing steel erectors and other workers involved in steel construction in the United Kingdom. History The union was founded in 1924 as a section of the Iron and Steel Trades Con ...

. From the 1980s, employment in the metalworking trades was in sharp decline, and membership of the ISTC dropped in line with this. In 1984, the existing ISTC was legally absorbed by BISAKTA, which took on the ISTC name. In later years the union also built up representation amongst workers in the

electronics industry The electronics industry is the economic sector that produces electronic devices. It emerged in the 20th century and is today one of the largest global industries. Contemporary society uses a vast array of electronic devices built-in automated or ...

plastics Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their Plasticity (physics), plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be Injection moulding, moulded, Extrusion, e ...

and

glass Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling (quenching) of ...

, 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 union in 1899 and 1866 respectively.The Carpet Weavers of Kidderminster. Arthur MarshMalthouse Press Oxford, p. 74. In 2004, the ISTC merged with the

National Union of Knitwear, Footwear & Apparel Trades The National Union of Knitwear, Footwear and Apparel Trades (KFAT) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. History The National Union of Knitwear, Footwear and Apparel Trades was formed in 1991 through the amalgamation of the National Union ...

(KFAT) to form a new organisation called

Election results

The union sponsored Labour Party candidates in each Parliamentary election.

General Secretaries

:1917: Arthur Pugh :1936:

John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...

:1946:

Lincoln Evans Sir Lincoln Evans (18 September 1889 – 3 August 1970) was a Welsh trade unionist. Born in Swansea, Evans left school at the age of twelve to work for a butcher,"Obituary: Sir Lincoln Evans", ''The Guardian'', 4 August 1970 moving to several ...

:1953: Harry Douglass :1967: Dai Davies :1975: Bill Sirs :1985:

Roy Evans Roy Quentin Echlin Evans (born 4 October 1948) is an English former footballer who played as a defender for Liverpool. He eventually rose through the coaching ranks to become the team manager. While predominantly plyi ...

:1993: Keith Brookman :1999:

Michael J. Leahy Michael James Leahy Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 7 January 1949) was the General Secretary of the British Trade Union Community (trade union), Community. Leahy was General Secretary of the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation (ISTC) from 1 ...

Assistant General Secretaries

:1935:

:1936:

:1945: Harry Douglass :1953: Dai Davies :1967: Jim Diamond :1973: Bill Sirs :1975:

:1985: Keith Brookman :1993:

:1999: Eddie Lynch :2004: Roy Rickhuss

References

External links

Catalogue of the ISTC 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 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iron And Steel Trades Confederation Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom 1917 establishments in the United Kingdom Steel industry trade unions of the United Kingdom Trade unions established in 1917 Trade unions disestablished in 2004 Trade unions based in London