Friendly Society of Iron Founders
| Full name | Friendly Society of Iron Founders of England, Ireland and Wales |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1809 |
| Date dissolved | 1920 |
| Merged into | National Union of Foundry Workers |
| Members | 11,000 (1867) |
| Affiliation | TUC |
| Country | United Kingdom |
The Friendly Society of Iron Founders of England, Ireland and Wales (FSIF) was an early trade union representing foundry workers in the United Kingdom.
The union was founded in 1809 in Bolton as the Friendly Iron Moulders' Society. Unlike the many friendly societies which focused on mutual welfare, it organised workers with the aim of improving their working conditions. This was illegal under the Combination Act 1799, and so in the early years, the books of the organisation were buried in a nearby peat bog between meetings, in order to evade detection. By 1837, it felt able to meet publicly, and held its first delegate meeting. This meeting, in Manchester, decided to rename the union as the Friendly Society of Operative Iron Moulders of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
The union relocated from Manchester to London in 1850, and decided against joining the newly formed Amalgamated Society of Engineers. In 1852 it elected its first full-time general secretary, William Harvey, who held the office for eleven years. Although he was seen as hard-working, in particular in establishing a central register of all members and benefits, under his leadership there was little financial oversight of branches, and numerous cases of embezzlement emerged. The union's appeal committee dismissed the entire executive committee including Harvey, who nonetheless agreed to remain in office until an election was held. This was won by Daniel Guile, who became a nationally prominent figure as a member of the trade union "Junta". In 1864, the union took its final name, while, three years later, it claimed to have more than 11,000 members.
In 1899, the union was a founder of the General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU), with secretary Joseph Maddison becoming the GFTU's treasurer. The union also affiliated to the Labour Representation Committee, and its member Arthur Henderson became one of the first Labour Members of Parliament. However, in 1901 it was expelled from the Trades Union Congress following a dispute with the Brass Moulders.
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