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Gifts from The Morning Star
Remembering the midwives of the TUC
TONY BURKE recalls two printworkers, William Henry Wood and Samuel Caldwell Nicholson, who were instrumental in setting up an annual trade union congress in 1868

AS 2018 marks the 150th anniversary of the founding of the TUC it’s worth remembering that two print union officials were instrumental in founding the first ever meeting of the Trades Union Congress in Manchester in 1868.

At that time trade unions were based on local trade societies — some who were able to regulate apprenticeships and working practices and a number were able to bargain with local employers.

One such group were the compositors — skilled printing workers who assembled metal type, read and corrected proofs and prepared pages ready for printing.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
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