John Inglis (1833 or 1834 – 8 January 1911) was a Scottish

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 ( ...

leader. Born in

Douglas, Lanarkshire Douglas ( gd, Dùbhghlas) is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located on the south bank of the Douglas Water and on the A70 road that links Ayr, on the West coast of Scotland, to Edinburgh on the East, around 12 miles south west o ...

, Inglis worked as a blacksmith at an ironworks 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 ...

. He came to prominence in 1857, as a founder of the Scottish United Operative Blacksmiths' Protection and Friendly Society. The following year, he was elected as the union's auditor, then in 1859 as its president, and in 1863 as its general secretary.

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national tra ...

, "Obituary: Mr John Inglis", ''Annual Report of the 1912 Trades Union Congress'', p.86 Inglis represented his union at the

(TUC), serving on the

Parliamentary Committee of the TUC A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...

for fifteen years, and as its chairman in 1882/3. While on the committee, he played a leading role in campaigning for the

Trade Union Act 1871 The Trade Union Act 1871 (34 & 35 Vicc 31 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which legalised trade unions for the first time in the United Kingdom. This was one of the founding pieces of legislation in UK labour law, though it has ...

, which formally legalised trade unions in the UK, the Trade Union Act 1876, and the Fatal Accident Inquiry Act. Inglis remained secretary of the union until his retirement in 1907.

, "Obituary: Mr J. Thomson, OBE, JP", ''Annual Report of the 1919 Trades Union Congress'', p.205 Although it remained small, under his leadership it began organising workers across the UK, and was renamed as the

Associated Blacksmiths' Society The Associated Blacksmiths, Forge and Smithy Workers' Society (ABFSWS) was a trade union representing metalworkers in the United Kingdom and Ireland. History The union was founded in 1857 in Glasgow as the Scottish United Operative Blacksmiths Pr ...

.John B. Smethurst and Peter Carter, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions'', vol.6, pp.314-320

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Inglis, John 1830s births 1911 deaths British trade union leaders Members of the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress Scottish trade unionists