The Oldham Provincial Card and Blowing Room and Ring Frame Operatives' 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 ( ...

representing cotton industry workers in

Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, wh ...

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 ...

, in England. Long the largest union in the industry, it played a leading role in establishing a regional federation of cardroom workers. While a union of workers involved in preparing cotton existing in Oldham by the early 1860s, it dissolved later in the decade. A second union was established in about 1870, but was dissolved at the end of that decade. The Oldham Card and Blowing Room Operatives' Association was established in 1880 as its replacement. By 1885, the union had 1,279 members, which although only 10% of relevant workers in the town, still made it one of the largest cotton industry unions at the time. That year, there was a major strike in the industry, and many of the striking workers joined the union, raising its membership to more than 5,000. This enabled it to, for the first time, employ a full-time secretary, George Silk. Inspired by the successful Oldham Operative Cotton Spinners' Provincial Association, Silk restructured the union, also changing its name slightly to become the Oldham Provincial Card and Blowing Room Operatives' Association. In 1886, the union played a leading role in founding the

Amalgamated Association of Card and Blowing Room Operatives The Cardroom Amalgamation or Cardroom Workers' Amalgamation (CWA)Joseph L. White, ''The Limits of Trade Union Militancy'', p.240, note 9 was a British trade union which existed between 1886 and 1974. It represented workers in the cotton textil ...

(Cardroom Amalgamation), Silk becoming its first president, and

William Mullin William Mullin (1844 or 1845 – 23 June 1920) was a British trade unionist. Mullin grew up in Oldham, and left school at the age of nine to work in a local cotton mill. He joined a local trade union, and was elected as its treasurer in 1880 ...

, also from Oldham, its first secretary. Of the first executive committee, four out of five members were from Oldham. Initially, it formed about half the total membership of the amalgamation, although over time this dropped to one-third. Silk launched campaigns to increase wages, and 1889 the union agreed a provisional wage list with local employers. In addition, the union began accepting ring frame operatives into membership, and in 1890 added them into its name. Membership reached 12,465 in 1892, and peaked at 28,850 in 1922, remaining over 20,000 until

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 ...

. Oldham was known for its significant number of

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

supporters, and in 1894 it voted against supporting independent labour politicians. It did vote for the

United Textile Factory Workers' Association The United Textile Factory Workers' Association (UTFWA) was a trade union federation in Great Britain. It was active from 1889 until 1975. Objectives The federation was founded in 1889, to represent the various textile workers' unions in polit ...

to affiliate to the Labour Representation Committee in 1902, but by a smaller margin than other unions, and only 40% of members later contracted in to pay a political levy. Membership of the union declined along with the Lancashire cotton industry, and in 1968 it merged with the

Oldham and District Weavers', Winders', Reelers', Beam and Sectional Warpers' Association The Oldham and District Weavers', Winders', Reelers', Beam and Sectional Warpers' Association was a trade union representing cotton workers in an area centred on Oldham in Lancashire, England. Unions of cotton weavers were established in Oldham ...

, forming the Oldham Provincial Union of Textile and Allied Workers In 1986, this merged into the GMB.

General Secretaries

:1885: George Silk :c.1900: Michael Connolly :1922: Archie Robertson :1953: Jim Browning :as of 1982: J. J. Martin and D. Lucas

References

{{UTFWA Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom Oldham Cotton industry trade unions 1880 establishments in the United Kingdom 1986 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Trade unions established in 1880 Trade unions disestablished in 1986 Trade unions based in Greater Manchester