The National Union of Foundry Workers (NUFW) 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 workers in

foundries A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

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 ...

History

The union was founded in 1920 with the merger of the

Associated Iron Moulders of Scotland The Associated Iron Moulders of Scotland (AIMS) was a trade union representing foundry workers in Scotland. The union was created in 1831 as the Scottish Iron Moulders' Union. Its founder was James Dunn, a former cotton worker who had been blac ...

, the

Amalgamated Society of Coremakers of Great Britain and Ireland The Amalgamated Society of Core Makers of Great Britain and Ireland (ASC) was a trade union representing foundry workers in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in 1902 by a large number of local unions, with a total membership of less than 1, ...

and the Friendly Society of Iron Founders of England, Ireland and Wales. The Scottish Brassmoulders' Union joined in 1942, and the Associated Iron, Steel and Brass Dressers of Scotland merged in during 1945. In 1946, the union merged with the

Ironfounding Workers' Association The Ironfounding Workers' Association was a trade union representing foundry workers in the United Kingdom, principally in Scotland. History In 1888, there was a strike in Falkirk of un-unionised light casting moulders. The strike was successfu ...

and the United Metal Founders' Society to form the

Amalgamated Union of Foundry Workers __NOTOC__ The Amalgamated Union of Foundry Workers (AUFW) was a trade union representing workers in foundries in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in 1946 with the merger of the National Union of Foundry Workers, the Ironfounding Workers' ...

. Although many women worked in foundries during and after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the NUFW only admitted men into its membership.

Election results

The union sponsored

Arthur Henderson Arthur Henderson (13 September 1863 – 20 October 1935) was a British iron moulder and Labour politician. He was the first Labour cabinet minister, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1934 and, uniquely, served three separate terms as Leader of th ...

as a Labour Party candidate in several Parliamentary elections.

Leadership

General Secretaries

:1920: Alfred Todd{{cite book , last1=Fryth , first1=H. J. , last2=Collins , first2=Henry , title=The Foundry Workers , date=1950 , publisher=Amalgamated Union of Foundry Workers , location=Manchester :1922: James Fulton :1925: Robert Tilling :1934: J. H. Codd :1938: Albert Wilkie :1944:

Jim Gardner James or Jim Gardner may refer to: * James Gardner (surveyor), British engineer * James Gardner (designer) (1907–1995), British industrial designer * James Gardner (musician) (born 1962), British musician and composer * James A. Gardner (1943� ...

Presidents

:1920: Tom Chadwick

Assistant General Secretaries

:1920: James Fulton :1922: Robert Tilling :1925: J. H. Codd :1934: Robert Smith

References

External links

Catalogue of the NUFW 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 ...

Trade unions established in 1920 Trade unions disestablished in 1946 Foundry workers' trade unions Trade unions based in Greater Manchester