{{Infobox union , name = Postmen's Federation , image = , founded = 1891 , predecessor = Postmen's Union , dissolved = 1919 , merged =

Union of Post Office Workers The Union of Communication Workers (UCW) was a trade union in the United Kingdom for workers in the post office and telecommunications industries. History The union was founded in 1919 as the Union of Post Office Workers (UPW) by the merger ...

, members = 31,000 (1906) , publication = , location_country= United Kingdom , affiliation = TUC, Labour , key_people =

George Harold Stuart George Harold Stuart-Bunning (1870–1951), born George Harold Stuart, was a British trade unionist. Born in Oldham, Stuart became a postman and an activist in the Postmen's Federation.''The Labour Who's Who: 1927'', p.210 He also became active ...

, headquarters = Parliament Mansions,

Victoria Street, London Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, footnotes = The Postmen's Federation was a

trade union 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 ...

representing postal workers 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. In 1889, a "Postmen's Union" was founded in

Clerkenwell Clerkenwell ( ) is an area of central London, England. Clerkenwell was an Civil Parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish from the medieval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington. The St James's C ...

by Tom Dredge and

John Lincoln Mahon John Lincoln Mahon (8 June 1865 – 19 November 1933) was a Scottish trade unionist and politician, best known as a prominent socialist activist. Mahon was born in Edinburgh, to Irish parents, with the surname "McMahon". He followed in his fathe ...

. This dissolved after many of its members were sacked, but two years later, C. Churchfield established the "Postmen's Federation" as a more cautious organisation. It immediately recruited 3,721 members, and survived, offering welfare benefits to members from 1895 and publishing ''The Postmen's Gazette''.Arthur Marsh and Victoria Ryan, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions'', vol.1, pp.175-176 By 1901, the union was becoming more confident, and felt able to affiliate to the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union center, national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions that collectively represent most unionised workers in England and Wales. There are 48 affiliated unions with a total of ...

and the Labour Representation Committee. Membership was over 31,000 by 1906. In 1912,

was elected as general secretary; Duncan Campbell-Smith describes him as the "single most impressive officer among all the postal union staffs". Under his leadership, the union began admitting women. It negotiated a merger with the

Fawcett Association The Fawcett Association was a trade union representing postal clerks in London. History The union was founded in 1890. It was named after Henry Fawcett, who it considered had been sympathetic to workers when he was Postmaster General. For most o ...

and the

Postal and Telegraph Clerks' Association The Postal and Telegraph Clerks' Association (PTCA) was a trade union in the United Kingdom for workers in the post office and telecommunications industries. History The union was founded in 1881 as the Postal Telegraph Clerks' Association, am ...

in 1919, forming the

.Duncan Campbell-Smith, ''Masters of the Post: The Authorized History of the Royal Mail''

General Secretaries

:1891: Charles Churchfield :1901: Alexander MacLaren :1910: T. Robinson :1912:

References

External links

Catalogue of the Postmen's Federation archives
held at the

Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick The Modern Records Centre (MRC) is the specialist archive service of the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, located adjacent to the Central Campus Library. It was established in October 1973 and holds the world's largest archive collect ...

Trade unions established in 1891 Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom Postal trade unions 1891 establishments in the United Kingdom Trade unions disestablished in 1919