Association of Women Clerks and Secretaries

The Association of Women Clerks and Secretaries (AWCS) was a British trade union from 1912 to 1941.

History

The union formed in 1903 as the Association of Shorthand Writers and Typists and changed its name in 1912 to AWCS.[1] It grew, partly because of World War I, from fewer than 900 members in 1916 to around 8000 in 1920. It became a member of the Trades Union Congress in 1919.[2]

Anne Godwin joined the union in 1920 and became its main organizer in 1928.[3]

In 1941 AWCS merged with the National Union of Clerks and Administrative Workers to form the Clerical and Administrative Workers Union.[1][4]

General Secretaries

1911: Florence

1916: Mabel Basnett

1918: Dorothy Evans

1931: Anne Godwin

Archives

Records of the AWCS are kept in the London Metropolitan University's Trades Union Congress Library Collections.[1]

References

1. Archives Hub
2. Association of Women Clerks and Secretaries at Working Class Movement Library
3. Dame Anne Godwin: trade union leader at Working Class Movement Library
4. Clerks union timeline

Further research

• Arthur Marsh; Victoria Ryan. 1997. The Clerks: a history of APEX, 1890-1989. Malthouse P.
• Historical Directory of Trade Unions, vol 1, pg. 46