Union of Jute, Flax and Kindred Textile Operatives facts for kids

The Union of Jute, Flax and Kindred Textile Operatives was a special group, called a trade union, that helped workers in the textile factories around Dundee in Scotland. Textile workers make things like cloth and fabric from materials such as jute and flax. This union worked to make sure these workers had fair pay and good working conditions.

How the Union Started

This union began after a big strike in the textile industry in Dundee. A strike is when workers stop working to demand better conditions. The workers on strike didn't have a union to support them at first. The existing union, the Dundee and District Mill and Factory Operatives Union, actually disagreed with their strike.

Because of this, in 1906, two important people decided to act. Mary Macarthur, a famous women's rights and labor activist, and John Reed from the Dundee Trades Council, helped create a new union. They named it the Dundee and District Union of Jute and Flax Workers.

When it first started, the union had 3,964 members. About two-thirds of these members were women. By 1910, the union had grown to 5,000 members.

Growing Stronger

John Sime became a very important leader in the union. He started as its president and later became its general secretary. Under his leadership, the union became very strong. It even had some disagreements with the older Dundee and District Mill and Factory Operatives Union.

Eventually, the Union of Jute, Flax and Kindred Textile Operatives became the main union for textile workers in Dundee. By the 1920s, the union reached its largest size with 20,000 members. However, over time, the number of jobs in the textile industry started to decrease. This meant fewer people were working, and the union's membership slowly went down.

The Union's Later Years

By 1979, the union had fewer than 2,000 members left. Because its membership had become so small, it joined with another union called the National Union of Dyers, Bleachers and Textile Workers. This meant the Union of Jute, Flax and Kindred Textile Operatives no longer existed as a separate group.

Union Leaders

This union had several important leaders over the years. Here are some of the people who served as General Secretaries and Presidents.

General Secretaries

• 1906: William Egerton
• 1908: John Sime
• 1940: Thomas Matthew Ferguson
• 1947: John Duffy
• 1958: Robert Doyle
• 1971: Margaret Fenwick

Presidents

First women delegates to the STUC in 1911 in Dundee: L-R Jeanie Spence, Mrs Lamont, Agnes Brown, Mary Macarthur, Kate McLean? and Rachel Devine?

• 1906: John Sime
• 1908: Nicholas Marra
• 1911: Mary Wood
• 1924: Rachel Devine
• 1930: Jeannie Spence
• 1933: Robert Doyle
• 1937: (Information not available)
• 1945: Robert Doyle
• 1956: (Information not available)