James Crinion (1860 – 13 August 1932) was a

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trade unionist A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

. Born in Lees, Greater Manchester, Lees, near Oldham, Lancashire, he worked as a spinner in a cotton mill from an early age. When his family moved to Chadderton, he became involved in the Cardroom Amalgamation, and was soon secretary of the local branch of its Oldham affiliate. The Amalgamation was nearly bankrupted by a strike in 1893, but Crinion worked with its secretary, William Mullin, to rebuild it, and was rewarded in 1896, when he was elected as president."Obituary: Mr. James Crinion", ''Manchester Guardian'', 15 August 1932, p.6 Crinion was able to greatly increase membership of the Amalgamation, and gained prominence in the wider trade union movement. He served as a trustee of the General Federation of Trade Unions (UK), General Federation of Trade Unions, and in 1911 was the Trade Union Congress' delegate to the American Federation of Labour. He was critical of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party and took no part in it, although he was nominally a Labour candidate when he stood unsuccessfully in Royton (UK Parliament constituency), Royton at the 1918 United Kingdom general election, 1918 general election. In later years, Crinion was known for stressing the importance of health and safety in cotton mills, particularly the need to reduce dust levels. He retired as president of the Amalgamation in 1926, after suffering poor health, and finally as President of its Oldham affiliate in 1930.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crinion, James 1860 births 1932 deaths Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates British trade union leaders People from Lees, Greater Manchester