Further reading
- Ellem, Bradon (1989) In women's hands?:a history of clothing trades unionism in Australia Kensington, NSW, Australia: New South Wales University Press.
Clothing and Allied Trades Union of Australia | |
| Merged into | Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1907 |
| Dissolved | 1992 |
| Headquarters | Labor Council Bldg., Sussex Street, Sydney, NSW |
| Location | |
Members | 40,529 (1971) [1] |
| Affiliations | ACTU, ALP, International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation, Textile Workers' Asian Regional Organisation |
The Clothing and Allied Trades Union of Australia (CATU) was an Australian trade union which existed between 1907 and 1992. [2] The CATU represented workers employed in the manufacture of clothing and manchester goods, including pressers, cutters and machinists. [1] Approximately 85 percent of the union's membership was female. [1]
The CATU was originally formed in 1907 as the Federated Clothing Trades of the Commonwealth of Australia. [2] The union was created through the merger of a large number of small state- and craft-based trade unions which had been active in Australia since the mid-nineteenth century, including the Cutters and Trimmers Union of New South Wales and the Tailors' Trade Protection Society. [2] These unions primarily represented skilled, male craftsmen in what was already a largely female industry. This created an ongoing tension within the CATU between the need to represent the whole of the workforce within the industry, and the greater level of organisation and distinction within some male-dominated trade occupations. [3]
During the 1970s and 80s the removal of tariff protections for manufactured goods in Australia, automation of production processes, and an increase in the availability of cheap imports from Asia greatly reduced the size of the workforce in the Australian clothing industry. [1] This, combined with a policy of union rationalisation pursued by the ACTU, put pressure on the CATU to effect a merger with other unions in the apparel industry. [1] In 1992 the union merged with the Amalgamated Footwear and Textile Workers' Union of Australia to form the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia. [2]
The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU), or more fully, the Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing, and Kindred Industries Union, is an Australian trade union. The AMWU represents a broad range of workers in the manufacturing sector, as well as associated industries, and is affiliated with the Australian Council of Trade Unions.
The Ceramic and Allied Trades Union (CATU) was a trade union representing pottery workers in the United Kingdom.
The Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) is the largest union in construction, forestry, maritime, textile, clothing and footwear production. The CFMEU is affiliated with the Australian Council of Trade Unions and the Australian Labor Party.
The economic history of Australia traces the economic history of Australia since European settlement in 1788.
The National Union of Knitwear, Footwear and Apparel Trades (KFAT) was a trade union in the United Kingdom.
Community is a British trade union which formed in 2004. The union represents workers in a diverse range of sectors, including iron and steel, justice and custodial, domestic appliance manufacturing, textiles and footwear, road transport, betting, the third sector, education and early years as well as the self-employed.
The Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia (TCFUA) was a trade union in Australia. It represented a wide range of workers from the textile, clothing, footwear and felt hatting industries.
The Federated Miscellaneous Workers' Union was an Australian trade union from 1915 to 1992. It represented an extremely diverse and disparate range of occupations, but its core support came from workers employed in cleaning and security services. The union merged with the Federated Liquor and Allied Industries Employees' Union of Australia to form United Voice in 1992.
Manufacturing in Australia peaked in the 1960s at 25% of the country's gross domestic product, and has since dropped below 10%. At one stage manufacturing employed almost a third of Australia's workforce. Automotive manufacturing in Australia began in the 1920s and came to an end in 2017.
Manufacturing Grocers' Employees' Federation of Australia (M.G.U.) was an Australian trade union existing between 1906 and 1988. The union was first established as the Federated Candle, Soap, Soda & Starch Employees' Union of Australia, before changing its name in 1914. The union represented workers employed in manufacturing grocers' sundries and non-edible grocery products, particularly in the southern states of South Australia and Victoria. In 1988 the union amalgamated with the Federated Millers and Mill Employees' Union to form the Federated Millers and Manufacturing Grocers Employees' Association of Australia, which in turn merged with a number of unions to form the National Union of Workers.
The Federated Rubber and Allied Workers' Union of Australia was an Australian trade union which existed between 1909 and 1988. The union represented workers employed in manufacturing rubber, plastic, electrical cable, adhesive and abrasive products in Australia.
The Australian Boot Trade Employees' Federation (ABTEF) was an Australian trade union which existed from 1908 to 1987. The union represented all workers employed in footwear manufacturing in Australia.
The Australian Textile Workers' Union (ATWU) was an Australian trade union which existed from 1919 to 1987. The ATWU represented Australian workers employed in the manufacture of textiles, including the spinning, weaving, dyeing and finishing of all types of fibres. Later, the union also represented workers employed in manufacturing felt hatting.
Amalgamated Footwear and Textile Workers' Union of Australia was a short-lived Australian trade union, which existed between 1987 and 1992. The union represented workers employed in the manufacture of textiles as well as footwear and felt hatting products.
The Federated Liquor and Allied Industries Employees' Union of Australia (FLAIEU) was an Australian trade union from 1910 to 1992. It represented workers employed in hospitality, catering, breweries and alcohol retailing. The union merged with the Federated Miscellaneous Workers' Union of Australia to form United Voice in 1992.
Clothing industry or garment industry summarizes the types of trade and industry along the production and value chain of clothing and garments, starting with the textile industry, embellishment using embroidery, via the fashion industry to apparel retailers up to trade with second-hand clothes and textile recycling. The producing sectors build upon a wealth of clothing technology some of which, like the loom, the cotton gin, and the sewing machine heralded industrialization not only of the previous textile manufacturing practices. Clothing industries are also known as allied industries, fashion industries, garment industries, or soft goods industries.
The Northern Counties Textile Trades Federation was a trade union federation in northern England.
George F. Browett was a British trade union leader.
