The Postal and Telegraph Clerks' Association (PTCA) 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 ( ...

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 ...

for workers in the

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

and

telecommunication Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...

s industries.

History

The union was founded in 1881 as the Postal Telegraph Clerks' Association, amalgamated with the

United Kingdom Postal Clerks' Association The United Kingdom Postal Clerks' Association was a trade union representing post office workers in the UK. History The union was founded in 1887 by postal sorters working outside London. Those in London had already attempted and failed to form ...

in 1914 to form the Postal and Telegraph Clerks' Association, and in 1919 amalgamated with the

Postmen's Federation The Postmen's Federation was a trade union representing postal workers in the United Kingdom. In 1889, a "Postmen's Union" was founded in Clerkenwell by Tom Dredge and John Lincoln Mahon. This dissolved after many of its members were sacked, bu ...

and the

Fawcett Association The Fawcett Association was a trade union representing postal clerks in London. History The union was founded in 1890. It was named after Henry Fawcett, who it considered had been sympathetic to workers when he was Postmaster General. For most o ...

to form the

Union of Post Office Workers The Union of Communication Workers (UCW) was a trade union in the United Kingdom for workers in the post office and telecommunications industries. History The union was founded in 1919 as the Union of Post Office Workers (UPW) by the merger ...

. It achieved official recognition, and as a result, in 1920 the London Postal Porters' Association, Central London Postmen's Association, Tracers' Association, Tube Staff Association, Messengers' Association and Sorters' Association all merged with it.

Leadership

Notable figures in the leadership of the union included the women's officer,

Edith Howse Edith H. Howse (19 December 1883 – 1955) was a British trade unionist and politician. Born in Chorlton-upon-Medlock, near Manchester, Howse began working for the General Post Office in 1900 as a "telephone learner". She joined the Postal ...

General Secretaries

:1881: T. Wilkinson :1881: T. Morris :1886: J. E. Scott :1890: T. D. Venables :1898: C. E. Hall :1903: Thomas McKinney :1906: William Johnson :1910: E. R. Tuck :1914: J. G. Newlove :1917: Albert Lynes (acting) :1917:

Frederick Fox Riley Frederick Fox Riley (17 August 1869 – 3 February 1934) was a British trade unionist and politician. Born in Hinckley in Leicestershire, Riley worked for the Post Office and became involved in the Postal and Telegraph Clerks' Association, risi ...

(acting) Lynes was elected as general secretary in 1919, but before he could take up the post, the union was merged.

Organising Secretaries

:1914: Fred Richardson :1918:

Horace Nobbs Horace Nobbs (9 December 1880 – 1973) was a British people, British trade unionist and political activist. Born in Norwich, Nobbs joined the Post Office and became active in the Postal and Telegraph Clerks' Association (PTCA), working for it ful ...

References

External links

Catalogue of the PTCA 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 UKPCA archives
held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom Communications trade unions 1881 establishments in the United Kingdom Trade unions established in 1881 Trade unions disestablished in 1919 {{UK-trade-union-stub