The Northern Carpet Trades Union (NCTU) 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 ...

. It was first formed in 1892 in

Halifax, West Yorkshire Halifax () is a minster and market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It is the commercial, cultural and administrative centre of the borough, and the headquarters of Calderdale Council. In the 15th cen ...

, later expanding to cover all of Northern England. The NCTU was formed later than the

Power Loom Carpet Weavers' and Textile Workers' Association The Power Loom Carpet Weavers' and Textile Workers' Union (PLCWTWU) was a trade union representing workers in the textile industry in the Kidderminster area of England. The union was founded in 1865 and was initially named the Power Loom Brussels ...

, based in Kidderminster, and was considerably smaller. Approximately a fifth of eligible workers were members of the NCTU in 1939, compared to 50 percent for the Kidderminster union. Attempts to amalgamate all unions in the carpet trade failed, but in 1917 the

National Affiliation of Carpet Trade Unions National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

was established with equal representation from the NCTU,

Scottish Carpet Workers' Union Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

National Union of Dyers, Bleachers and Textile Workers The National Union of Dyers, Bleachers and Textile Workers (NUDBTW) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. History The union was founded in 1936 with the merger of the National Union of Textile Workers, which was the main union representing ...

and

Power Loom Carpet Weavers' and Textile Workers' Union The Power Loom Carpet Weavers' and Textile Workers' Union (PLCWTWU) was a trade union representing workers in the textile industry in the Kidderminster area of England. The union was founded in 1865 and was initially named the Power Loom Brussel ...

. The NCTU originally only represented carpet

weavers Weaver or Weavers may refer to: Activities * A person who engages in weaving fabric Animals * Various birds of the family Ploceidae * Crevice weaver spider family * Orb-weaver spider family * Weever (or weever-fish) Arts and entertainment ...

, but later came to represent all employees in the carpet industry including a staff section for supervisors and management. It merged with the

Transport and General Workers' Union The Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU or T&G) was one of the largest general trade unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland – where it was known as the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union (ATGWU) to differentiate its ...

in 2000.

General Secretaries

:1915: Ellis CrowtherArthur Marsh, Victoria Ryan and John B. Smethurst, ''Historical Directory of British Trade Unions'', vol.4, p.498 : :1950: H. H. Clee :1954: H. D. Pickles :1967: Reginald Townsend :1972: Leslie R. Smith :1980s: Keith Edmondson

General Secretaries

See also

References

Further reading