The Amalgamated Society of Textile Workers and Kindred Trades (ASTWKT) 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 textile workers, principally silk manufacturing, 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 ...

Leek Textile Federation

By 1907, Leek had eight small trade unions representing textile workers, most of whom worked with silk. Six of the unions were led by

William Bromfield William Bromfield (24 January 1868 – 3 June 1950) was an English trade unionist and Labour Party politician from Leek in Staffordshire. He was the town's Member of Parliament (MP) for all but four of the years between 1918 and 1945. Bromfie ...

, and the remaining two by

William Stubbs William Stubbs (21 June 182522 April 1901) was an English historian and Anglican bishop. He was Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford between 1866 and 1884. He was Bishop of Chester from 1884 to 1889 and Bishop of O ...

. That year, the Leek Textile Federation, and all the unions other than the Silk Twisters' Society affiliated. Bromfield defeated Stubbs to become the federation's secretary. The federation's affiliates were: The organisation later became known as the Midland Textile Federation, as some of the unions had members in other parts of Staffordshire and Cheshire. It affiliated to the Labour Party, and at the

1918 UK general election The 1918 United Kingdom general election was called immediately after the Armistice with Germany which ended the First World War, and was held on Saturday, 14 December 1918. The governing coalition, under Prime Minister David Lloyd George, sent ...

, it successfully sponsored Bromfield as a Parliamentary candidate:

History

In October 1919, the unions merged, forming the Amalgamated Society of Textile Workers and Kindred Trades. The Twisters still chose to remain separate, and eventually dissolved, in 1939. By 1920, the union had 10,485 members. It focused on pay and conditions, and also on welfare benefits for members. It did not undertake any strikes, although it supported the

UK General Strike The 1926 general strike in the United Kingdom was a general strike that lasted nine days, from 4 to 12 May 1926. It was called by the General Council of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in an unsuccessful attempt to force the British governmen ...

, and organised backing for it in Leek. Membership fell in the 1930s, averaging 4,500 that decade, with the majority being women, and dropped further to only 2,059 in 1946. In 1951, the union affiliated to the

Amalgamated Weavers' Association 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, ...

, but this was not a success, and it left a few years later, in order to cut its expenses. In 1965, it absorbed with the National Silk Weavers' and Textile Traders' Association, meaning that for the first time it had members outside Cheshire and Staffordshire, although only in a limited number of locations:

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Accord ...

Farnworth Farnworth is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, southeast of Bolton, 4.3 miles south-west of Bury (7 km), and northwest of Manchester. Historically in Lancashire, Farnworth lies on the River Ir ...

Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth (), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside town and unparished area in, and the main administrative centre of, the Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. A pop ...

and

Pontypridd () (colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Geography comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng (Trallwn) and Treforest (). The ...

. This took membership up to 7,000. Membership began falling again, and by 1982 was down to 3,561. In 1992, the union renamed itself as the Union of Textile Workers, and in 2000, it merged into the

Manufacturing, Science and Finance Manufacturing, Science and Finance (or the Manufacturing, Science and Finance Union; almost exclusively known as MSF) was a trade union in Britain. Over eighty members of Parliament (primarily members of the Labour Party) were members. Histor ...

union.Peter Carter and John B. Smethurst, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions: Volume 6'', p.116

Leadership

General Secretaries

:1919:

:1942: Tom Birch :1946:

Bert Lisle Herbert Lisle (19 October 1907 – 3 September 1991) was a British trade union leader. Born in Oldham, Lisle attended Clarkesfield Council School, and then Waterloo Higher Standard Centre. He left when he was fourteen, and began an apprenticesh ...

:1983: Alfred Hitchmough

Presidents

:1919: Albert Chattaway :1948: Harold Forrester :1963: Frank Stubbs :1965: John Watson : :1980s: Harry Braley :1990s: Sean Hulme

References