The UK Association of Organised Trades was founded in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

in July 1866. It was an important predecessor organization to 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 ...

. The organisation was largely inspired by William Dronfield, who was elected as its secretary. It initially represented over 200,000 trade unionists, organised through

trades council A labour council, trades council or industrial council is an association of labour unions or union branches in a given area. Most commonly, they represent unions in a given geographical area, whether at the district, city, region, or provincial or ...

s or national unions. Among the attendees at the first conference were the

London Working Men's Association The London Working Men's Association was an organisation established in London in 1836.

, and

George Odger George Odger (1813–4 March 1877) was a pioneer British trade unionist and radical politician. He is best remembered as the head of the London Trades Council during the period of formation of the Trades Union Congress and as the first President ...

of the

London Trades Council The London Trades Council was an early labour organisation, uniting London's trade unionists. Its modern successor organisation is the Greater London Association of Trades (Union) Councils History Leading figures in the London trade union mov ...

. The organisation agreed to secure mutual co-operation during

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 ...

s, to oppose the

Master and Servant Act Master and Servant Acts or Masters and Servants Acts were laws designed to regulate relations between employers and employees during the 18th and 19th centuries. An 1823 United Kingdom Act described its purpose as "the better regulations of serva ...

, and to work for the establishment of Courts of Conciliation and Arbitration. Its headquarters were established in Sheffield, and its executive was elected by the Sheffield Association of Organised Trades. A second conference was held in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

in January 1867, and a third in Preston in September of that year, although by this point, it was in sharp decline. The prospects for the organisation were essentially finished by the

Sheffield Outrages The Sheffield Outrages were a series of explosions and murders by a small group of trade unionist militants carried out in Sheffield, England in the 1860s. Sheffield's early success in steel production had involved long working hours, in condition ...

. Although it condemned them, it soon emerged that

William Broadhead William Broadhead (September 1815 – 15 March 1879) was a British trade unionist and saw grinder. Born in Whirlow, Sheffield, Broadhead worked as a saw grinder from childhood, later becoming the landlord of a public house in Owlerton. He used ...

, Treasurer of the Association, was their ringleader. The organisation disbanded in 1871.

References

{{Reflist *A. E. Musson, ''Trade Union and Social History'' *D. E. Martin, ''DRONFIELD, WILLIAM'' Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom National trade union centres of the United Kingdom 1866 establishments in the United Kingdom 1871 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Trade unions established in 1866 Trade unions disestablished in the 1870s Trade unions based in South Yorkshire

See also

References