The Rossendale Union of Boot, Shoe and Slipper Operatives 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 workers in the footwear trade in the

Rossendale Rossendale may refer to several places and organizations in Lancashire, England: Places *Rossendale Valley, a river valley *Borough of Rossendale, a local government district *Rossendale (UK Parliament constituency) Rossendale was a United King ...

area of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

. The union was founded in 1895,

University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded in 1965 as part of ...

Modern Records Centre 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 ...

,
Rossendale Union of Boot, Shoe and Slipper Operatives, 1968-1990s
Initially, it restricted membership to the workers perceived as being the most skilled, the lasters and riveters, but gradually expanded to represent all workers in the trade in the area.John B. Smethurst and Peter Carter, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions'', vol.6, p.104 Membership of the union reached a peak of 9,527 in 1945, but declined to only 1,412 in 1995. In 1997, it merged with the

National Union of Knitwear, Footwear and Apparel Trades The National Union of Knitwear, Footwear and Apparel Trades (KFAT) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. History The National Union of Knitwear, Footwear and Apparel Trades was formed in 1991 through the amalgamation of the National Union ...

General Secretaries

:1895: Andrew McAuley :1896: John Jordan :1905: J. Eastwood :1907: Albert Taylor :1947: Robert Driver :1969: Tom Whittaker :1983: Michael Murray

References

{{reflist Trade unions established in 1895 Borough of Rossendale Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom Trade unions disestablished in 1997 1895 establishments in the United Kingdom Footwear industry trade unions Trade unions based in Lancashire