News

The archives and memorabilia of the print and paper unions of the UK

and Ireland are now open to trades unionists, students and visitors at

the Marx Memorial Library, London. Following over a years worth of

research and collation, the archives, which were stored in several

locations following the merger between the GPMU and Amicus (now Unite)

in 2004, have now been brought together into the "Printers Collection",

which is on display at the Marx Memorial Library in Clerkenwell,

London.



The archive was formally opened by Unite Joint General Secretary Derek

Simpson and Unite Assistant General Secretary Tony Burke on March 2nd.



Clerkenwell was one of the main centre's of the printing industry in

London, with many print and typesetting company's located there - and

of course Fleet Street was nearby.



The print and paper unions have a long and proud history, stretching

back to the mid 18th century, with the formation of the Manchester

Typographical Society in 1767 as well as a number of lodges of

bookbinders in London.



These societies are now recognised as "trade unions" as we now know

them. They consisted of compositors, printers and bookbinders who

combined together, forming their own rules, charging entry fees and

paying benefits as well as regulating wages and apprentices with

employers and protecting their skills and knowledge, through

apprenticeships.



Their predecessors can be traced back to the first chapels, starting

with the establishment of the first printing press in England by

William Caxton in 1467. Chapels regulated not only the craft of

printers, their regulations also included fines for misdemeanors such

as swearing, fighting, being drunk at work and failing to snuff out a

candle when leaving the workshop!



The Printers Collection consists of material from the many small craft

or specialist unions which went onto form such print unions as the

Typographical Association, the London Typographical Society, the NGA,

ASLP, SLADE, NATSOPA, SOGAT and latterly the GPMU, which finally

established "one union for print" in 1991.



The journey from small lodges and chapels in typesetting and printing

was a long and complicated one.



Just like today, those founding fathers faced major problems. Whilst

they were able to control their jobs through skill and apprentice

intake - in the long run they were all unable to control technological

and economic change. They faced the growth of local companies into

national companies from local agreements into national agreements and

eventually - as we now face - the global economy.



The Typographical Unions were also instrumental in forming the Trade

Union Congress.



Through the creation of the Manchester and Salford Trades Council by

Henry Wood and Sam Nicholson of the Manchester Typographical Society,

and the vision and foresight of William Dromfield of the Sheffield

Typographical Society - all frustrated at the lack of co-ordination of

trade union activity and the inability of Liberal governments to

further their aims, they came together in 1868 to convene the first TUC

which was held at the Mechanics Institute in Manchester.



All of these small unions and societies faced tremendous hardship and

had to make difficult decisions. Sometimes they had fall outs between

each other, and reconstructed themselves, demarcation disputes occurred

- but all eventually recognised that workers banding together in a

common interest superseded any local or craft interests.



The Printers Collection consist of the minutes and records of the print

and paper-making unions, union journals and magazines, membership

certificates and cards, a photographic library, badges, books of

remembrance for those print workers killed in the two world wars,

memorabilia from disputes and campaigns plus personal memorabilia

donated to print union members and officials.



In addition John Gennard, Emeritus Professor at the University of

Strathclyde who has written the histories of the NGA, SOGAT and GPMU

has produced a history of the print and paper-making trade unions which

is available to visitors to the collection.



The next phase is for the Printers Collection to go on-line, so that

trade unionists throughout the world will have access to this

wonderful, historical information and memorabilia.



Marx Memorial Library - Opening Times

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 13.00 to 18.00

Friday, Saturday and Sunday closed



Guided tours

Individuals: Monday to Thursday, 1–2pm only, or by appointment.

Groups: visits by appointment