National Union of Footwear, Leather and Allied Trades

The National Union of Footwear, Leather and Allied Trades (NUFLAT) was a trade union in the United Kingdom which existed between 1971 and 1991. It represented workers in the leather and footwear industry.

History

The union was founded in 1971, with the merger of the Amalgamated Society of Leather Workers, the National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives, the National Union of Glovers and Leather Workers and the National Union of Leather Workers and Allied Trades.^[2] Although initially a strong union with many closed shop agreements,^[3] its membership fell rapidly due to large-scale redundancies in the industry.^[4] In 1991, it merged with the National Union of Hosiery and Knitwear Workers to form the National Union of Knitwear, Footwear and Apparel Trades.^[5] By the time of the merger, membership had fallen to 22,894.^[1]

General Secretaries

1971: Len Childs

1981: G. G. Stewart

1988: George Browett

General Presidents

1971: Bert Comerford

1980: Bob Stevenson

References

1. 1 2 National Union of Hosiery & Knitwear Workers, Knitting Together Archived September 23, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
2. ↑ NUFLAT - National Union of the Footwear, Leather and Allied Trades, Community Archived July 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
3. ↑ Dunn, Stephen; Gennard, John (1984). The Closed Shop in British Industry. Macmillan Publishers. p. 81. ISBN 9780333262030. 
4. ↑ Waddington, Jeremy; Kahmann, Marcus; Hoffmann, Jurgen (2005). A Comparison of the Merger Process in Britain and Germany: Joining Forces?. Routledge. p. 124. ISBN 9780415353786. 
5. ↑ KFAT – National Union of Knitwear, Footwear and Allied Trades, Community Archived July 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.