William Henry Wilkinson (1850 – 25 April 1906) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

trade unionist 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 Employee ben ...

. Born in

Haslingden Haslingden is a town in Rossendale, Lancashire, England. It is north of Manchester. The name means 'valley of the hazels' or 'valley growing with hazels'. At the time of the 2011 census the town (including Helmshore) had a population of 15,96 ...

, Wilkinson became a cotton weaver in 1864. He was a founder member of the Haslingden Weavers' Association, and was appointed as its general secretary in 1879. At the time, the

Blackburn Weavers' Association The Blackburn and District Weavers' Winders' and Warpers' Association was a trade union representing cotton industry workers in Blackburn, Lancashire, in England. One of the earliest weavers' unions to endure, it formed a model that many others ...

were on strike, opposing wage reductions of 10%. Realising that, if the Blackburn Weavers lost, the cuts would be likely to be applied in Haslingden too, Wilkinson raised large sums - around £140 per week - to support the Blackburn Weavers. Thanks to this, the strike was won, and Wilkinson came to prominence in textile trade unionism."Memorial notices: Mr W. H. Wilkinson", ''

Manchester Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 26 April 1906 The secretaryship was a part-time post, and Wilkinson continued to work as a weaver and, occasionally, as an overlooker, until 1880 when he became clerk of the

North East Lancashire Amalgamated Weavers' Association The North East Lancashire Amalgamated Weavers' Association was a trade union federation of local weavers' unions in part of Lancashire in England, in the 19th century. History The federation was founded in 1858 as the East Lancashire Amalgamat ...

. Its secretary,

Thomas Birtwistle Thomas Birtwistle (16 October 1833 – 22 March 1912) was an English trade unionist and factory inspector. Born in Great Harwood, Lancashire, he worked in a cotton mill from the age of six, becoming a power-loom weaver at the age of fourteen. In s ...

, founded the broader

Northern Counties Amalgamated Association of Weavers 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, ...

, and in 1885, Wilkinson became secretary of this Second Amalgamation. Wilkinson undertook various other roles, including membership of the executive of the Labour Representation Committee, and serving as secretary of the International Association of Textile Workers. He continued as secretary of the Haslingden Weavers until 1904. His health then worsened, and he stood down from the International Association at its conference in 1906, then took leave of absence from his remaining posts, dying soon after.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkinson, William Henry 1850 births 1906 deaths General Secretaries of the Amalgamated Weavers' Association People from Haslingden