The National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives (NUBSO) 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 ( ...

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 ...

which existed between 1873 and 1971. It represented workers in the

footwear industry Footwear refers to garments worn on the feet, which typically serves the purpose of protection against adversities of the environment such as wear from ground textures and temperature. Footwear in the manner of shoes therefore primarily serves th ...

History

The union was founded in 1873, when many

rivet A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed, a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite to the head is called the ''tail''. On installation, the rivet is placed in a punched ...

ers and finishers left the Amalgamated Society of Boot and Shoe Makers. They were dissatisfied by their low status within the old union, and instead formed the National Union of Boot and Shoe Rivetters and Finishers (NUBSRF).National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives
, Trade Union Ancestors Membership in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

grew rapidly, with the next largest branches being Glasgow, London and

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies about north of Wolverhampton, south of Stoke-on-Trent and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 70,145 in t ...

. In total, by 1877, the union had about 4,000 members. A few women joined the union in the late 1880s, making it the first union outside the textile trades to admit both men and women. At this point, membership in the important shoe making centre of

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

was low, with only about 600 of 15,000 shoe workers in the town holding union membership. That year, a five-week lock-out of members resulted in a settlement favourable to the union. This brought in hundreds of new members, and by the end of the year, its national membership reached 10,000. The General Union of Clickers and Rough-stuff Cutters merged into the NUBSRF in 1892, but most of its members left again in 1895. During the late 1880s and early 1890s, socialists came to prominence in the union. They led campaigns against

sweatshop A sweatshop or sweat factory is a crowded workplace with very poor, socially unacceptable or illegal working conditions. Some illegal working conditions include poor ventilation, little to no breaks, inadequate work space, insufficient lighting, o ...

working and outworking, where people worked from their own homes and were paid by item completed. Under their influence, the union organised a 34-week strike in 1897, in support of a

minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation by the end of the 20th century. Bec ...

and a 54-hour week, but this was unsuccessful. In 1897, the union renamed itself as the "National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives", and joined the General Federation of Trade Unions the following year. Membership rose over 100,000 by 1920, although it soon fell to around 80,000. Members in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

left in 1953, to form the

Irish Shoe and Leather Workers' Union The Irish Shoe and Leather Workers' Union (ISLWU) was a trade union representing workers involved in shoemaking in Ireland. The union was founded on 1 January 1953, as a split from the National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives (NUBSO), which was b ...

.John B. Smethurst and Peter Carter, ''Historical directory of trade unions, vol.6'', p.101 A major decline in the British shoe-making industry led the union to merge with the

Amalgamated Society of Leather Workers The Amalgamated Society of Leather Workers was a trade union representing tanners and workers involved in making leather goods in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in 1872 as the Leeds and District United Tanners' Society. Before the ...

, the

National Union of Glovers and Leather Workers The National Union of Glovers and Leatherworkers (NUGLW) was a trade union in the United Kingdom which existed between 1920 and 1971. It represented workers in the glove-making and leather industry. History The union was formed in 1920 by the ...

and the

National Union of Leather Workers and Allied Trades {{short description, Former trade union of the United Kingdom The National Union of Leather Workers and Allied Trades was a trade union in the United Kingdom representing workers who made items out of leather. The union was founded in 1928 with th ...

in 1971, forming

National Union of Footwear, Leather and Allied Trades The National Union of the Footwear, Leather and Allied Trades (NUFLAT) was a trade union in the United Kingdom which existed between 1971 and 1991. It represented workers in the leather and footwear industry. History The union was founded in 1 ...

Election results

The union was affiliated to the Labour Party, and sponsored numerous Parliamentary candidates, many of whom won election.

Leadership

General Secretaries

:1874: Thomas Smith :1878: George Sedgwick :1886: William Inskip :1899: W. Boyd Hornidge :1908: Edward L. Poulton :1930: George Chester :1949: Lionel Poole :1960: Richard Gregson :1968: T. A. Moore

General Presidents

:1878: Edward Kell :1890: T. Horrabin :1892: Jabez Leedham :1892: John Judge :1893: W. Boyd Hornidge :1899: Charles Freak :1910:

Thomas Frederick Richards Thomas Frederick Richards (25 March 1863 – 4 October 1942) was a British trade unionist and Labour Party politician. Born in Wednesbury, Staffordshire, in the English Black Country, he was the son of a commercial traveller. Following an ele ...

:1930: W. R. Townley :1938: Len Smith :1944: James Crawford :1957: Sydney Robinson

References

External links

Catalogue of the NUBSO 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 Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom Footwear industry trade unions 1873 establishments in the United Kingdom Trade unions established in 1873 Trade unions disestablished in 1971 Trade unions based in Northamptonshire