Scottish Operative Tailors' and Tailoresses' Association facts for kids

The Scottish Operative Tailors' and Tailoresses' Association was a trade union in Scotland. A trade union is a group of workers who join together to protect their rights and improve their working conditions. This union represented people who made clothes, like tailors and tailoresses.

The union started in the 1850s. It was first called the Scottish National Operative Tailors' Trade Protection Society. In 1860, its name changed to the Scottish National Association of Tailors.

Early Years and Goals

By 1867, the union had 4,500 members. These members were part of 84 different local groups, called branches. At first, these local groups made many of their own decisions. The union's main activities were often focused on local issues until the 1890s.

From the 1860s, the union had people working full-time for it. This included its secretary and the person who edited its newspaper. Other leaders, like the treasurer and president, were paid a small amount each year.

What the Union Fought For

The union worked to make things better for its members. Some of their early goals were:

• Shorter working hours for tailors.
• Fair pay for the same work, no matter which employer someone worked for.
• Sharing work among members when there wasn't much work available. This helped everyone during tough times.
• Allowing "piecework," where workers are paid for each item they complete.

The union had some success. They helped workers get a 15% pay raise. They also helped achieve a 57-hour work week. However, not all their efforts worked. A strike to get a standard way of tracking work time failed. A long strike in Aberdeen in 1875, which lasted 57 weeks, also did not succeed.

Membership and Challenges

Other unions, like the Amalgamated Society of Journeymen Tailors, wanted to join with the Scottish Tailors. But the Scottish union said no. They believed it was better to have a union that could focus only on Scottish employers.

After some time, the number of union members went down to 2,500. It stayed at this level through the 1870s and 1880s. In the mid-1890s, membership grew again to over 4,000. Most members were still the highest-paid tailors. But the union also started to include skilled workers from clothing factories.

Welcoming Women Members

In 1900, the union welcomed its first 19 women members. Its name changed again to the Scottish Amalgamated Society of Tailors and Tailoresses. Even with the new name, very few women joined. By 1910, only five women were members.

In 1903, the union faced a big problem. Employers stopped allowing union officials to visit workshops. They also started hiring as many temporary workers as they wanted. This made it harder for the union to protect its members.

Union Merger

The Scottish Operative Tailors' and Tailoresses' Association joined with another union in 1920. It merged with the United Garment Workers' Trade Union. Together, they formed a new union called the Tailors' and Garment Workers' Trade Union. The general secretary of the Scottish union, A. C. Craig, was against this merger.

Past Leaders

Here are some of the people who led the union as General Secretary:

• 1880s: Neil McLean
• 1895: Robert Girvan
• Around 1918: A. C. Craig