Fonds GB 1924 HD 6079, HD 6135 - National Federation of Women Workers

Identity area

Reference code

GB 1924 HD 6079, HD 6135

Title

National Federation of Women Workers

Date(s)

  • 1907-1955 (Creation)

Level of description

Fonds

Extent and medium

10 items

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

The National Federation of Women Workers (NFWW) was formed in 1906 by Mary Macarthur. The Federation had close links with the Women's Trade Union League, with Gertrude Tuckwell serving as president of both organisations from 1908. The NFWW saw strikes as the chief means of unionising unorganised workers and probably did more than any other organisation (including trade unions) to unionise women especially during the mass strike wave of 1910-1914. The Federation was entirely unself-seeking, in that its efforts were purely for the benefit of the unions rather than its own prestige. Although its membership had risen to 20,000 by 1914, its leaders never intended that the NFWW should remain permanently as a women's union. In fact in 1921 it quietly merged with the National Union of General Workers (now the GMB). The Federation, along with many of the other women's organisations, campaigned to expose the evils of the sweated trades. Their propaganda was very effective and played a major part in inducing the Liberal government to pass the 1909 Trade Boards Act which was an attempt to fix minimum wages in certain of the most exploitative trades, usually the ones in which women predominated. (This administrative history was written by Professor Mary Davis, Centre for Trade Union Studies, London Metropolitan University c 2008.)

Archival history

GB 1924 HD 6079, HD 6135 1907-1955 Fonds 10 items National Federation of Women Workers (NFWW)

The National Federation of Women Workers (NFWW) was formed in 1906 by Mary Macarthur. The Federation had close links with the Women's Trade Union League, with Gertrude Tuckwell serving as president of both organisations from 1908. The NFWW saw strikes as the chief means of unionising unorganised workers and probably did more than any other organisation (including trade unions) to unionise women especially during the mass strike wave of 1910-1914. The Federation was entirely unself-seeking, in that its efforts were purely for the benefit of the unions rather than its own prestige. Although its membership had risen to 20,000 by 1914, its leaders never intended that the NFWW should remain permanently as a women's union. In fact in 1921 it quietly merged with the National Union of General Workers (now the GMB). The Federation, along with many of the other women's organisations, campaigned to expose the evils of the sweated trades. Their propaganda was very effective and played a major part in inducing the Liberal government to pass the 1909 Trade Boards Act which was an attempt to fix minimum wages in certain of the most exploitative trades, usually the ones in which women predominated. (This administrative history was written by Professor Mary Davis, Centre for Trade Union Studies, London Metropolitan University c 2008.)

Deposited with the TUC at an unknown date.

Collection includes: The position of women after the war: report of the Standing Joint Committee, 1916; A comparison between the rates under certain trade boards for women, 1921; Women in the trade union movement, 1955; The Woman Worker - Journal 1907-1921; agenda of biennial conference; annual reports.

http://catalogue.londonmet.ac.uk/

Open to bona fide researchers by appointment, at the discretion of the TUC Librarian.

Photocopying is permitted within the terms of copyright legislation, although copying of some items including fragile material is at the discretion of the librarian.
English

Library catalogue catalogue.londonmet.ac.uk

Also held at the TUC Library are the papers of Dorothy Elliott, an organisor for the Federation, and Gertrude Tuckwell who in 1908 was elected President of the Federation.
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

2019
Personnel Workers Women workers Government Health services administration Public administration Organization and administration Personnel management Conditions of employment Working conditions Labour relations Trade unions Sex distribution People by occupation People Women Macarthur , Mary Reid , 1880-1921 , Trade Unionist and Women's Labour Organiser , afterwards Anderson National Federation of Women Workers Sex

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Deposited with the TUC at an unknown date.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Collection includes: The position of women after the war: report of the Standing Joint Committee, 1916; A comparison between the rates under certain trade boards for women, 1921; Women in the trade union movement, 1955; The Woman Worker - Journal 1907-1921; agenda of biennial conference; annual reports.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Open to bona fide researchers by appointment, at the discretion of the TUC Librarian.

Conditions governing reproduction

Photocopying is permitted within the terms of copyright legislation, although copying of some items including fragile material is at the discretion of the librarian.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

English

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Also held at the TUC Library are the papers of Dorothy Elliott, an organisor for the Federation, and Gertrude Tuckwell who in 1908 was elected President of the Federation.

Finding aids

Library catalogue catalogue.londonmet.ac.uk

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

Related descriptions

Notes area

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

Trades Union Congress (TUC) Library Collections at London Metropolitan University

Rules and/or conventions used

Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

    Sources

    Accession area