The National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers (NUPBPW) 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 ( ...

History

The union was founded in 1921 as the National Union of Printing, Bookbinding, Machine Ruling and Paper Workers when the

National Union of Bookbinders and Machine Rulers {{Infobox union , name = National Union of Bookbinders and Machine Rulers , full_name = , image = , founded = 1911 , predecessor = , successor = , dissolved = 1921 , merged = National Union of Prin ...

and the

National Union of Printing and Paper Workers The National Union of Printing and Paper Workers was a trade union representing workers in the printing industry in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in 1914 by the merger of the National Amalgamated Society of Printers' Warehousemen and ...

merged. The

Platen Printing Machine Minders' Society A platen (or platten) is a flat platform with a variety of roles in printing or manufacturing. It can be a flat metal (or earlier, wooden) plate pressed against a medium (such as paper) to cause an impression in letterpress printing. Platen m ...

and the

London Society of Machine Rulers London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

soon also joined. In 1926, its central

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

branch broke away, but rejoined in 1931. In 1928, the union dropped "machine ruling" from its name.Arthur Marsh, Victoria Ryan and John B. Smethurst, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions'' By 1960, the union over 160,000 members. Following mergers with several small unions, in 1966 it joined with the

National Society of Operative Printers and Assistants The National Society of Operative Printers and Assistants (NATSOPA) was a British trade union. History Formed as part of the New Unionism movement in September 1889, the union was originally named the Printers' Labourers' Union and was led b ...

to form the

Society of Graphical and Allied Trades The Society of Graphical and Allied Trades (SOGAT) was a British trade union in the printing industry. History SOGAT was formed in 1966 by the National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers and the National Society of Operative Pr ...

Leadership

General Secretaries

:1921:

Tom Newland Thomas George Newland (2 February 1872 – 14 September 1943) was a British trade union leader. Born in Islington, Newland served with the City Imperial Volunteers during the Second Boer War. After the war, he returned to the UK, where in 18 ...

David Butler, ''Twentieth-Century British Political Facts, 1900-2000'', p.391 :1938:

Bill Spackman E. W. Spackman (1882 – 17 December 1955), known as Bill Spackman, was a British trade unionist. Spackman left school at the age of thirteen, and took his first job running errands for printers. In time, he became a printer himself, and join ...

:1947: Bill MorrisonPeter Bain and John Gennard, ''A History of the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades'', p.214 :1961: Tom Smith

General Presidents

:1921: George Harraway :1938: E. C. Hooker :1950: Cecil Sharp :1954: John Mackenzie

References

External links

Catalogue of the NUPBPW 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 ...

Catalogue of the Printing Machine Branch/Platen Printing Machine Minders' Society archives
held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick 1921 establishments in the United Kingdom 1966 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom Bookbinders' trade unions Trade unions established in 1921 Trade unions disestablished in 1966 Trade unions based in London {{UK-trade-union-stub