The Bakers, Food and Allied Workers' Union (BFAWU) is a

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits (s ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Founded in 1847 in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

, it represents workers in the

food industry The food industry is a complex, global network of diverse businesses that supplies most of the food consumed by the world's population. The food industry today has become highly diversified, with manufacturing ranging from small, traditional, ...

History

The union dates its origin to 1847. The Manchester Friendly Association of Operative Bakers was established in 1849, and by 1854 it was led by Thomas Hodson. Under his leadership the union first expanded to represent bakers in

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

, becoming the first bakers' union in England to cover a wide area, though its membership remained below 200. In 1861 Hodson led the formation of the Amalgamated Union of Operative Bakers, bringing together unions in Bristol, Cheltenham, Hanley, Liverpool, London, Newcastle, Warrington and Wigan, along with his Manchester society. The new union gained prominence when its campaign for improvements in working conditions led to the

Bakehouse Regulations Act 1863 A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, donuts, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers w ...

. In about 1870 the union relocated its headquarters to London, but the majority of its members were still in Lancashire. Other unions gradually joined, including the South Wales Federation of Journeymen Bakers in 1893. By 1891 the union had 4,000 members, nearly half of them in London.Arthur Marsh and John B. Smethurst, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions'', vol.5, pp.152-198 In 1902, the union officially affiliated to the Labour Party, which had been founded two years prior. For many years the union did not admit workers whom it considered unskilled. This led its London organiser, C. Mann, to form the rival National Union of Bakery Trade Workers in 1913. The following year the Operative Bakers agreed to accept all workers in the industry, and renamed itself as the Amalgamated Union of Operative Bakers, Confectioners and Allied Workers of Great Britain and Ireland. Mann's breakaway union was dissolved. In 1920 the union agreed to transfer its members in the milling industry to the rival Dock, Wharf and Riverside Workers' Union. The union focused its campaigns on shorter working hours, better pay and working conditions. In 1919 it led a major strike against night work, but this was unsuccessful. It recruited well in cooperative bakeries, but struggled elsewhere, until the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. In 1935 it barred master bakers from holding office in the union. The union became more centralised in the 1950s. In 1964 it shortened its name to become the Bakers' Union. This was later lengthened to the present name. In July 2015 the BFAWU endorsed

Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. On the pol ...

campaign Campaign or The Campaign may refer to: Types of campaigns * Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed * Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme * B ...

in the Labour Party leadership election. In 2017 members of the BFAWU staged the first strikes at

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food Fast food is a type of mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. It is a commercial term, limited to food sold ...

in the UK. During the Labour Party leadership election in 2020 the union backed

Rebecca Long-Bailey Rebecca Roseanne Long-Bailey (' Long; born 22 September 1979), is a British politician and former solicitor serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Salford and Eccles since 2015. A member of the Labour Party, Long-Bailey served in the Shado ...

. It also backed

Richard Burgon Richard Burgon (born 19 September 1980) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leeds East since 2015. Burgon served as Shadow Secretary of State for Justice and Shadow Lord Chancellor in the Shadow ...

for deputy leader. In November 2020 the union announced that it planned to consult its members on whether to remain affiliated to the Labour Party following the suspension of former

party leader In a governmental system, a party leader acts as the official representative of their political party, either to a legislature or to the electorate. Depending on the country, the individual colloquially referred to as the "leader" of a political ...

. In September 2021 it announced during Labour's annual conference that it would disaffiliate from the party, citing dissatisfaction with

Keir Starmer Sir Keir Rodney Starmer (; born 2 September 1962) is a British politician and barrister who has served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party since 2020. He has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Holborn and St Pancras ...

's leadership.

Election results

The union sponsored Labour Party candidates in several Parliamentary elections, winning twice. Labour Party, ''Report of the Twenty-second Annual Conference of the Labour Party'', pp.255-272

Leadership

General secretaries

:1864: Thomas Hodson :1883: John Jenkins :1915:

John William Banfield John William Banfield (29 August 1875 – 25 May 1945) was a British trade unionist and Labour Party politician, who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Wednesbury from 1932 until his death in 1945. Early life Banfield was born in Burt ...

:1940: Joseph Thomasson :1952: Jock Halliday :1968:

Stanley Gretton Stanley Gretton (1920 or 1921 – 17 June 1975) was a British trade union leader. Gretton worked as a baker, and joined the Amalgamated Union of Operative Bakers in 1937. He soon became a shop steward, then branch secretary, before working fu ...

:1975: Sam Maddox :1979:

Joe Marino Joe Marino (born 1946, Wythenshawe, Manchester) is a British trade unionist. Marino joined the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers' Union (BFAWU) in his youth, and was elected as a shop steward in 1968. He was active in attempts to build a shop stewa ...

:2010: Ronnie Draper :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: Dennis Nash :c.2000: Ronnie Draper :2010: Ian Hodson :2017 : Steve Potts

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1847 establishments in the United Kingdom Baking industry British food and drink organisations Bakers' and confectioners' trade unions Trade unions based in Hertfordshire Organizations established in 1847 Trade unions established in the 1840s Trade unions in the United Kingdom Trade unions affiliated with the Labour Party (UK) Welwyn Hatfield Trade unions affiliated with the Trades Union Congress