The Women's Industrial Council (WIC) was a British organisation active from 1894 to about 1917, promoting the interests of women at work.
Federation
The organisation originated as the Women's Trade Union Association, founded by
Clementina Black in the
East End of London in 1889. It was intended to be a
federation
A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...
of women's trade unions, with early affiliates including the East London Ropemakers' Union, led by
Amie Hicks, and the confectioners' union, whose leader,
Clara James, became assistant secretary of the association.
The federation was supported by leading figures from the
Social Democratic Federation
The Social Democratic Federation (SDF) was established as Britain's first organised socialist political party by H. M. Hyndman, and had its first meeting on 7 June 1881. Those joining the SDF included William Morris, George Lansbury, James ...
, including Hicks, and also male trade unionists such as
John Burns
John Elliot Burns (20 October 1858 – 24 January 1943) was an English trade unionist and politician, particularly associated with London politics and Battersea. He was a socialist and then a Liberal Member of Parliament and Minister. He was ...
and
Tom Mann
Thomas Mann (15 April 1856 – 13 March 1941) was an English trade unionist and activist. Largely self-educated, Mann became a successful organiser and a popular public speaker in the British labour movement.
Early years
Mann was born on 15 ...
. However, its membership soon began to fall, and it was refounded as the "Women's Industrial Council" in 1894, with a focus on investigating and reporting on the conditions under which women worked.
Investigation
Under the new leadership of
Catherine Webb, this new mission proved more successful, with more than one hundred trades investigated. Most research was conducted in London, but some in other British cities. Hicks and James objected to the research focus and finally left in 1908, but many other women, later to become prominent, became involved. They included
Margaret Bondfield
Margaret Grace Bondfield (17 March 1873 – 16 June 1953) was a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician, trade unionist and women's rights activist. She became the first female cabinet minister, and the first woman to be a priv ...
,
Ishbel Gordon,
Elizabeth Leigh Hutchins,
Mary Macarthur,
Margaret MacDonald,
Lucy Wyatt Papworth and Dorothea Margaret Zimmern,
and suffragette
Louise Eates.
The work of the organisation slowed during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and it appears to have disbanded around 1917.
Archives
Archive material from 1895 to 1910 is held at the
British Library of Political and Economic Science. Other material from 1907 to 1909 is held in the
Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union center, national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions that collectively represent most unionised workers in England and Wales. There are 48 affiliated unions with a total of ...
(TUC) Library Collection at
London Metropolitan University
London Metropolitan University, commonly known as London Met, is a public university, public research university in London, England. The University of North London and London Guildhall University merged in 2002 to create the university. The Un ...
.
References
Feminist organisations in the United Kingdom
1894 establishments in the United Kingdom
Political organizations established in 1894
Women and trade unions
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