Bakers, Food and Allied Workers' Union
The Bakers, Food and Allied Workers' Union (BFAWU) is a trade union in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1847 in Manchester, it represents workers in the food industry.
Full name | Bakers, Food and Allied Workers' Union |
---|---|
Founded | 1847 |
Members | 5,137 (1907)[1] 20,496 (2013)[2] |
Affiliation | TUC, TUCG, ICTU, Labour Party[3] |
Key people | Ronnie Draper, general secretary |
Office location | Stanborough House, Great North Road, Welwyn Garden City |
Country | United Kingdom |
Website | www |
History
Soon after foundation, the union began organising nationally and became the Amalgamated Union of Operative Bakers. It gained prominence when its 1861 campaign for improvements in working conditions led to the Bakehouse Regulations Act 1863. The union gradually adopted a federal structure.
In 1964, the union was renamed the Bakers' Union, but this was later lengthened to the present name.
In July 2015, the BFAWU endorsed Jeremy Corbyn's campaign in the Labour Party leadership election.[4]
In 2017, BFAWU members staged the first strikes at McDonald's in the UK.[5]
Election results
The union sponsored Labour Party candidates in several Parliamentary elections, winning twice.[6][7]
Election | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Position |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1922 general election | Fulham West | Robert Mark Gentry | 8,210 | 35.6 | 2 |
1932 by-election | Wednesbury | William Banfield | 21,977 | 54.7 | 1 |
1935 general election | Wednesbury | William Banfield | 22,683 | 53.3 | 1 |
Leadership
General Secretaries
- 1864: Thomas Hodson
- 1883: John Jenkins
- 1915: John William Banfield
- 1940: Joseph Thomasson
- 1952: Jock Halliday
- 1968: Stanley Gretton
- 1975: Sam Maddox
- 1979: Joe Marino
- 2010: Ronnie Draper[8]
- 2020: Sarah Woolley
Presidents
- 1910: A. F. Bentley
- 1914: J. H. Brown
- 1926: T. Ferris
- 1927: H. Keen
- 1946: Ernest Haynes
- 1969: Chris Childs
- 1977: Terry O'Neill
- 1995:
- c.2000: Ronnie Draper
- 2010: Ian Hodson
References
- Report on Trade Unions in 1905-1907. London: Board of Trade. 1909. pp. 82–101.
- Bakers, Food and Allied Workers' Union: annual returns. UK Certification Officer.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-11. Retrieved 2012-02-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Syal, Rajeev (5 July 2015). "Jeremy Corbyn gets backing of Unite in Labour leadership race". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
- Kollewe, Julia; Slawson, Nicola (September 4, 2017). "McDonald's workers to go on strike in Britain for first time" – via www.theguardian.com.
- Parker, James (2017). Trade unions and the political culture of the Labour Party, 1931-1940 (PDF). Exeter: University of Exeter. p. 125.
- Labour Party, Report of the Twenty-second Annual Conference of the Labour Party, pp.255-272
- "Ronnie Draper is elected General Secretary" (PDF). Autumn 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 31, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
Further reading
- Arthur Marsh, Victoria Ryan and John B. Smethurst, Historical Directory of Trade Unions