Waterproof Garment Workers Trade Union label

The Waterproof Garment Workers' Trade Union was a

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

representing workers involved in making waterproof clothing in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in 1907 as the Waterproof Garment Makers' and Machinists' Trade Union. Based in

Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...

, it originally had 382 members, but this dropped to only 70 by 1912. As a result, the union's leaders decided to disband the union, but some members wished to continue. They appointed Joseph Fogerty of the

Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers The Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers (ASW) was a British trade union representing carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materia ...

as a full-time organiser, and he was able to reverse the decline; by 1915, it had more than 500 members.{{cite book, last1=Marsh, first1=Arthur, last2=Ryan, first2=Victoria, last3=Smethurst, first3=John B., title=Historical Directory of Trade Unions, volume=4, date=1994, publisher=Ashgate, location=Farnham, isbn=9780859679008, page
471–472
url=https://archive.org/details/historicaldirect0004mars/page/471 The Waterproofer

In 1914, the union renamed itself as the "Waterproof Garment Workers' Trade Union". The following year, it was a founder constituent of the

United Garment Workers' Trade Union The United Garment Workers' Trade Union (UGWTU) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in 1915, with the merger of the Amalgamated Union of Clothiers Operatives with the Amalgamated Jewish Tailors, Machinists and Press ...

, but it retained significant autonomy, and became independent once more in 1921. The

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

saw great unhappiness among members with the union's organisation, many members leaving as a result. The

General Council of the Trades Union Congress The General Council of the Trades Union Congress is an elected body which is responsible for carrying out the policies agreed at the annual British Trades Union Congresses (TUC). Organisation The council has 56 members, all of whom must be proposed ...

conducted an investigation, which concluded that the union should reform its structures, and the breakaway members should return to the union. In 1936, the union was involved in a dispute at J. Meek and Co, in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, and unhappiness about its handling of it led to the whole executive being replaced. This did not affect union membership, which reached a peak of 3,100 in 1947, with about three-quarters of members being women. From the 1950s, membership of the union declined in line with employment in the industry, and by 1971 it had only 714 members remaining. The following year, it voted to amalgamate with the

National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers The National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers (NUTGW) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. History The union was founded as the Tailors and Garment Workers' Union (T&GWU) in 1920 with the merger of the Scottish Operative Tailors and T ...

General Secretaries

:1910s: Joseph Fogarty :1937:

Ted Ainley Theodore Herzl Ainley (3 October 1903 – 19 March 1968) was a British trade union leader and communist activist. Life Born Theodore Abrahamson in Cheetham, in Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of ...

John Saville, "Ainley, Theodore (Ted)", ''Dictionary of Labour Biography'', vol.X, pp.1–3 :1939: F. C. Henry

References

Clothing industry trade unions Trade unions established in 1907 Trade unions disestablished in 1972 Trade unions based in Greater Manchester