Merged into | Union of Post Office Workers |
---|---|
Founded | 1890 |
Dissolved | 1919 |
Headquarters | 55 Doughty Street, London |
Location |
|
Members | 3,750 (1904) |
Key people | Wallace Bligh Cheesman (Gen Sec) |
Affiliations | TUC |
The Fawcett Association was a trade union representing postal clerks in London.
The union was founded in 1890. It was named after Henry Fawcett, who it considered had been sympathetic to workers when he was Postmaster General. [1]
For most of its existence, the union's general secretary was Wallace Bligh Cheesman, and its chairman was William E. Clery. They were sacked from the Post Office after they circulated information about candidates in the 1892 general election, and attempted to get them to express support for the union. However, Cheesman remained the union's secretary throughout its existence. [2] [3]
Cheesman decided to work closely with other unions, and in 1893, the Fawcett Association became the first clerical union to affiliate to the Trades Union Congress. It also joined the United Government Workers' Federation, and formed the National Joint Committee of Postal and Telegraph Associations in 1897, with the Postmen's Federation, Postal and Telegraph Clerks' Association and United Kingdom Postal Clerks' Association. [1]
The union was represented at the founding meeting of the Labour Representation Committee (LRC). Clery was adopted as an LRC candidate in 1901, but was also adopted as a Liberal-Labour candidate for Deptford. This proved controversial, and he did not ultimately stand under either label. [1]
Membership of the union grew steadily, reaching 3,750 by 1904. The Postal Bagmen's Association and the Women Sorters' Association affiliated to the Fawcett Association in 1906. In 1919, it merged with the Postmen's Federation and the Postal and Telegraph Clerks' Association, forming the Union of Post Office Workers. [1]
The union co-sponsored a Labour Party candidate at the 1918 UK general election: [4]
Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Position |
---|---|---|---|---|
Camberwell North | Charles Ammon | 2,175 | 21.0 | 3 |
Henry Fawcett was a British academic, statesman and economist.
The National Union of Railwaymen was a trade union of railway workers in the United Kingdom. The largest railway workers' union in the country, it was influential in the national trade union movement.
The Miners' Federation of Great Britain (MFGB) was established after a meeting of local mining trade unions in Newport, Wales in 1888. The federation was formed to represent and co-ordinate the affairs of local and regional miners' unions in England, Scotland and Wales whose associations remained largely autonomous. At its peak, the federation represented nearly one million workers. It was reorganised into the National Union of Mineworkers in 1945.
The Association of Professional, Executive, Clerical and Computer Staff (APEX) was a British trade union which represented clerical and administrative employees.
The Union of Communication Workers (UCW) was a trade union in the United Kingdom for workers in the post office and telecommunications industries.
The Modern Records Centre (MRC) is the specialist archive service of the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, located adjacent to the Central Campus Library. It was established in October 1973 and holds the world's largest archive collection on British industrial relations, as well as archives relating to many other aspects of British social, political and economic history.
The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) is a labor union in the United States. It represents over 200,000 employees and retirees of the United States Postal Service who belong to the Clerk, Maintenance, Motor Vehicle, and Support Services divisions. It also represents approximately 2,000 private-sector mail workers.
The Communication Workers Union of Australia is a trade union in Australia. It is a division of the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union of Australia.
The Postal and Telegraph Clerks' Association (PTCA) was a trade union in the United Kingdom for workers in the post office and telecommunications industries.
The National Union of General Workers (NUGW) was an early general union in the United Kingdom, the most important general union of its era.
The Amalgamated Society of Boilermakers, Shipwrights, Blacksmiths and Structural Workers (ASB) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. Many of its members worked in shipbuilding, in which industry it was the leading trade union, while over time it also developed strength in engineering and construction.
George Harold Stuart-Bunning (1870–1951), born George Harold Stuart, was a British trade unionist.
The United Textile Factory Workers' Association (UTFWA) was a trade union federation in Great Britain. It was active from 1889 until 1975.
Sir John William Bowen CBE, known as William Bowen, was a British trade unionist and politician.
The Postmen's Federation was a trade union representing postal workers in the United Kingdom.
Wallace Bligh Cheesman was a British trade union leader and political activist.
Edith H. Howse was a British trade unionist and politician.
The United Kingdom Postal Clerks' Association was a trade union representing post office workers in the UK.
Harry Dubery was a British labour movement activist.
Leeds Trades Council is an organisation bringing together trade unionists in Leeds, in northern England.