The North East Lancashire Amalgamated Weavers' Association 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 ( ...

federation of local weavers' unions in part of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, in the 19th century.

History

The federation was founded in 1858 as the East Lancashire Amalgamated Weavers' Friendly Association, with a membership of 4,645. It was organised by

Thomas Birtwistle Thomas Birtwistle (16 October 1833 – 22 March 1912) was an English trade unionist and factory inspector. Born in Great Harwood, Lancashire, he worked in a cotton mill from the age of six, becoming a power-loom weaver at the age of fourteen. In s ...

, who believed that a federation of the many local weavers' unions in the county would improve the workers' position in wage negotiations. Initially, the Over Darwen, Church, Accrington, Harwood, Padiham, Chorley and Haslingden unions joined; larger unions such as those in Burnley and Nelson did not, as they felt able to manage their own affairs.Edwin Hopwood, ''A History of the Lancashire Cotton Industry and the Amalgamated Weavers' Association'', pp.47-52 Birtwistle became the federation's first general secretary, and was felt to have succeeded in his limited remit. By the end of the 1860s, the Clitheroe, Enfield and Ramsbottom unions had also joined, taking membership over 8,000. The Burnley and Nelson unions both collapsed in the 1860s; the association established branches in these towns in 1870, which grew rapidly and became independent affiliates in 1871. Encouraged by its success, during the 1870s, the federation ran a major campaign for shorter hours. In 1878, it organised a

strike Strike may refer to: People * Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...

against a 10% cut in wages; employers responded by locking out workers not already taking part, but the strike was lost after nine weeks. This led to a restructuring of the federation, which took the new name of the "North East Lancashire Amalgamated Weavers' Association" and began paying death benefits to members, and representing them in disputes relating to work stoppages, unfair treatment, fines and the breakdown of machinery. In 1884, Birtwistle founded the

Northern Counties Amalgamated Association of Weavers The Amalgamated Weavers' Association, often known as the Weavers' Amalgamation, was a trade union in the United Kingdom. Initially, it operated in competition with the North East Lancashire Amalgamated Weavers' Association in part of its area, ...

, covering a broader area, and this soon eclipsed the North East Lancashire association, which became informally known as the First Amalgamation. Despite this, Birtwistle remained secretary until 1892, when he retired. At this point, most of the affiliates left, but the federation was not dissolved until 1903.

Affiliates

As of 1884, the association's affiliates were:

General Secretaries

:1861:

:1892: E. J. Holmes :1896: A. H. Cottam

References

{{Lancashire Cotton Cotton industry in England Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom Cotton industry trade unions Trade unions established in 1858 Trade unions disestablished in 1903 1858 establishments in England 1903 disestablishments in England Trade unions based in Lancashire