Printing Industry Employees' Union
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| Printing Industry Employees' Union | |
|---|---|
| Name | Printing Industry Employees' Union |
| Founded | 19XX |
| Dissolved | 19YY |
| Location country | United Kingdom |
| Members | approximate |
| Key people | Albert Richardson (trade unionist), Margaret Oakes (trade unionist) |
| Headquarters | London |
| Affiliation | Trades Union Congress, International Federation of Journalists |
Printing Industry Employees' Union was a trade union representing workers in the print, typesetting, lithography, binding, and pressroom trades. The union operated during the 20th century and engaged with major industrial, political, and technological shifts affecting London, Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham, and other industrial centers. It negotiated national agreements, sponsored candidates for public office, administered apprenticeships, and ultimately participated in reorganizations that reshaped labor representation in printing.
History
The union emerged from crafts-based societies that traced roots to the 19th-century artisan movements such as the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, the Friendly Society of Compositors, and the Typographical Association. It consolidated local printers' groups influenced by events like the Great Dock Strike of 1889 and the General Strike of 1926, responding to mechanization exemplified by the Linotype machine and the transition from hand-press to steam-driven rotary presses. Leadership figures engaged with broader labor milestones including the Trades Union Congress conferences and international forums such as the International Labour Organization. During the interwar period the union expanded membership through recruitment drives in textile towns served by firms like William Clowes Ltd. World War II mobilization and postwar reconstruction intersected with the union’s campaigns for wage parity and safety standards modeled after accords such as the Wages Councils Act 1945 negotiations.
Organization and Structure
The union was organized on a federal basis with district branches in regions including Scotland, Wales, and the North West England printing hubs. Governance combined a national executive committee, branch delegates drawn from firms like Harrison & Sons and Daily Mirror printworks, and craft-specific sections for compositors, lithographers, and bookbinders. Annual congresses mirrored procedures practiced by the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers and employed standing committees for finance, industrial relations, and recruitment. The head office in London coordinated legal representation with trade union solicitors experienced in tribunals such as those presided over at the Employment Tribunals Service venues.
Membership and Demographics
Members included compositors, pressmen, linotype operators, camera operators, proofreaders, and bookbinders recruited from employers such as Penguin Books, Reed Elsevier, and regional newspapers like the Manchester Evening News. Demographics shifted across decades: early membership skewed male and craft-based with apprentices entering via guild-like pathways linked to institutions such as the Central School of Arts and Crafts, while later decades saw increasing female participation in roles at firms like Heinemann and among clerical staff at publishers including Hodder & Stoughton. Immigration patterns brought recruits from Ireland and the Commonwealth, interacting with industrial disputes involving entities such as the National Graphical Association.
Collective Bargaining and Industrial Action
The union engaged in sector-wide bargaining that produced national agreements on pay, hours, and redundancy terms negotiated with employer federations like the Printing and Publishing Confederation. Industrial actions ranged from localized overtime bans at presses owned by Trinity Mirror to national strikes coordinated with the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunication and Plumbing Union and other affiliates at Trades Union Congress congresses. Notable disputes referenced contemporaneous cases adjudicated in forums influenced by legislation such as the Trade Disputes Act and often involved solidarity from Transport and General Workers' Union members during mass picketing episodes. The union’s industrial strategy combined legal challenges, arbitration before boards modeled on the Conciliation and Arbitration Board, and publicity campaigns in newspapers like the Times.
Political Activity and Affiliations
Politically aligned with labour movement institutions, the union maintained affiliations with the Labour Party and contributed to policy debates on industrial policy, copyright, and postal reform alongside stakeholders such as the National Union of Journalists. It sponsored candidates for local councils in municipalities including Westminster and worked with parliamentary allies on amendments to legislation affecting printing and publishing. Internationally, the union participated in exchanges with counterparts such as the American Newspaper Guild and unions from Germany and France through bodies like the International Printing and Graphic Communication Union.
Training, Education, and Apprenticeships
The union administered apprenticeships and in-house training schemes in partnership with technical colleges such as the London College of Printing and the Manchester College of Technology. Curriculum covered linotype operation, lithographic processes, bookbinding techniques, and safety training in workshops compliant with standards promoted by the Health and Safety Executive. Union-run classes included evening courses tied to qualifications recognized by awarding bodies like the City and Guilds of London Institute, and scholarship programs enabled study at institutions including the University of Sheffield for members’ children.
Decline, Mergers, and Legacy
From the 1970s onward technological change—digital typesetting, offset printing, and desktop publishing driven by innovations from firms like Apple Inc. and software such as Adobe PageMaker—eroded traditional crafts, prompting mergers with organizations such as the National Graphical Association and the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades. The union’s archival collections, dispersed to repositories like the British Library and the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick, document negotiation records, strike bulletins, and training syllabi. Its legacy persists in contemporary unions representing media and graphic workers, influences on industrial relations law, and in oral histories preserved by projects linked to the Trades Union Congress and regional museums such as the Museum of London Docklands.