The General Iron Fitters' Association was a trade union representing stove dressers in Scotland, particularly in the Falkirk area.
The union was founded in 1892, when it was named the Associated Society of Range, Stove and Ornamental Workers. Initially very small, with only 110 members, it grew to nearly 1,000 members by 1910, when it was renamed as the "General Iron Fitters' Association". It was based in Falkirk, but did recruit members in other areas of Scotland, principally Glasgow. [1]
In 1965, the union renamed itself as the Scottish Metal Workers' Union, in the hope of attracting a wider membership, but this did not succeed, and instead in 1968 it merged into the General and Municipal Workers' Union. [1]
The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) is the national trade union centre in Scotland. With 40 affiliated unions as of 2020, the STUC represents over 540,000 trade unionists.
In British politics, an affiliated trade union is one that is linked to the Labour Party. The party was created by the trade unions and socialist societies in 1900 as the Labour Representation Committee and the unions have retained close institutional links with it.
Falkirk is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, 23.3 miles (37.5 km) north-west of Edinburgh and 20.5 miles (33.0 km) north-east of Glasgow.
The GMB is a general trade union in the United Kingdom which has more than 631,000 members. Its members work in nearly all industrial sectors, in retail, security, schools, distribution, the utilities, social care, the National Health Service (NHS), ambulance service and local government.
The Transport and General Workers' Union was one of the largest general trade unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland – where it was known as the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union (ATGWU) to differentiate itself from the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union – with 900,000 members. It was founded in 1922 and Ernest Bevin served as its first general secretary.
Douglas John Henderson is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Newcastle upon Tyne North from 1987 to 2010. In 2015, he was appointed chairman of Falkirk F.C., a position he held until June 2017.
A whitesmith is a metalworker who does finishing work on iron and steel such as filing, lathing, burnishing or polishing. The term also refers to a person who works with "white" or light-coloured metals, and is sometimes used as a synonym for tinsmith.
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 as well as the self-employed.
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.
Harry Ewing, Baron Ewing of Kirkford, was a Labour politician in Scotland. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for 21 years, from a by-election in 1971 until the 1992 general election, when he became a life peer. He served as a junior minister in the Scottish Office from 1974 to 1979, responsible for devolution, and later chaired the Scottish Constitutional Convention from 1989 to 1996.
The Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU) was a major British trade union. It merged with the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union to form the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union in 1992.
The Scottish Commercial Motormen's Union was a trade union in the United Kingdom. It merged with the Transport and General Workers' Union in 1971.
The National Union of Scottish Mineworkers (NUSW) is a trade union in Scotland, founded in 1894 as the Scottish Miners Federation. It joined the Miners' Federation of Great Britain, and in 1914 changed its name to National Union of Scottish Mineworkers. It survives as the National Union of Mineworkers.
The Tobacco Workers' Union (TWU) was a trade union representing workers in all areas of the tobacco industry in the United Kingdom.
Hugh Lyon was a Scottish trade union leader.
The Heating and Domestic Engineers' Union (H&DEU) was a trade union representing a wide range of workers, particularly those involved with domestic pipework, in the United Kingdom.
The Ironfounding Workers' Association was a trade union representing foundry workers in the United Kingdom, principally in Scotland.
Alexander Hutchison was a Scottish trade union leader who served as chair of the General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU).
The Amalgamated Society of Gas Workers, Brickmakers and General Labourers (ASGWBM&GL) was a trade union representing labourers in the United Kingdom, particularly in the Birmingham area.
Archibald G. Logan was a Scottish trade unionist and politician.