Thomas Birtwistle (16 October 1833 – 22 March 1912) was an English trade unionist and factory inspector.
Born in
Great Harwood
Great Harwood is a town in the Hyndburn district of Lancashire, England, located north east of Blackburn and adjacent to the Ribble Valley. Great Harwood is the major conurbation of the 'Three Towns'; the three towns being Great Harwood, Clayton- ...
,
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 ...
, he worked in a
cotton mill
A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning (textiles), spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system.
Althou ...
from the age of six, becoming a power-loom weaver at the age of fourteen. In spite of limited education, he had a flair for mathematics and was skilled at working out the complicated the way cotton workers were paid. This led to involvement in the early
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 ( ...
movement
[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography - subscription based. Accessed 16 June 2011](_blank)
/ref> where he worked to enable British trade unions to gain recognition, respectability, and responsibility in the second half of the 19th century. He died in Accrington
Accrington is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, east of Preston, north of Manchester and is situated on the culverted River Hyndburn. Commonly abbreviated by locals to ...
.
Union activity
He was a leading figure during the 1858 lock-out
A lockout is a work stoppage or denial of employment initiated by the management of a company during a labour dispute. In contrast to a strike, in which employees refuse to work, a lockout is initiated by employers or industry owners.
Lockouts a ...
at Great Harwood. When there were strikes at Padiham
Padiham ( ) is a town and civil parish on the River Calder, about west of Burnley, Lancashire, England. It forms part of the Borough of Burnley. Originally by the River Calder, it is edged by the foothills of Pendle Hill to the north-west ...
in 1859) and Colne
Colne () is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England. Located northeast of Nelson, north-east of Burnley, east of Preston and west of Leeds.
The town should not be confused with the unrelated Colne Val ...
in 1860, he was elected to the council of the new North-East Lancashire Powerloom Weavers' Association. This enable co-operation between works in different towns. In 1861 he became its full-time secretary, and held the post until 1892.
He represented the North East Association at the Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre
A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national tra ...
from 1872 and was on its parliamentary committee from 1875-1889, and was its chairman in 1881.
In 1885, he became one of the country's first working-class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...
JPs.
In 1892, however, he was appointed by the government as a factory inspector (duties now carried out by the Health and Safety Executive
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is a UK government agency responsible for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare, and for research into occupational risks in Great Britain. It is a non-depar ...
), responsible for implementing parts of the Factory Act 1891.
Personal life
He married a fellow weaver, Ellen Butterworth, who predeceased him, when he was 20. He died at his home, 17 St James's Street, Accrington, on 22 March 1912 and was buried in Accrington cemetery. He was survived by his second wife, Mary.
References
1833 births
1912 deaths
Factory inspectors
General Secretaries of the Amalgamated Weavers' Association
General Secretaries of the United Textile Factory Workers' Association
Members of the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades Union Congress
People from Great Harwood
19th-century British businesspeople
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