Foundry Workers

In 1968 the Amalgamated Union of Foundry Workers and the Amalgamated Engineering Union merged to form the Amalgamated Union of Engineering & Foundry Workers (AEF) The new union had a membership of more than 1,123,000

The Amalgamated Union of Foundry Workers began its life in 1946 when the National Union of Foundry Workers, the Ironfounding Workers Association and the United Metal Founders Society agreed to merge. The new union grew quickly and by 1948 it had around 80,000 members. In 1968 with 63,000 members it became the Foundry Section of the Amalgamated Union of Engineering & Foundry Workers (AEF) The National Union of Foundry Workers (NUFW) was formed in 1920 as the result of a merger of three unions catering for Iron Founders, Moulders and Coremakers. Shortly before this amalgamation the ASE had attempted to persuade the Foundry Workers to consider joining forces with the engineering unions. Numerous other foundry workers unions remained independent and it wasn’t until 1946 that agreement was reached to form one union for all workers in the foundry trades.

The National Union of Foundry Workers (NUFW) was formed in 1920 as the result of a merger of three unions catering for Iron Founders, Moulders and Coremakers. Shortly before this amalgamation the ASE had attempted to persuade the Foundry Workers to consider joining forces with the engineering unions. Numerous other foundry workers unions remained independent and it wasn’t until 1946 that agreement was reached to form one union for all workers in the foundry trades.

The first Iron Moulders Society was formed in Lancashire in 1809 and eventually took the name Friendly Society of Operative Iron Moulders of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland. In 1854 the union title was changed to Friendly Society of Iron Founders and in 1920 it was one of the unions which merged to form the National Union of Foundry Workers (NUFW)

Formed in Scotland in 1889 as the Central Ironmoulders Association of Scotland the union decided to recruit members in England prior to the First World War. In 1926 a decision was taken to change the name to the Ironfounding Workers Association (IWA) and twenty years later in 1946 the Association was one of the unions which formed the Amalgamated Union of Foundry Workers (AUFW)

The origins of the Amalgamated Moulders and Kindred Industries Trade Union were in Lancashire where the union was formed in 1890 and named the Amalgamated Society of Plate & Machine Moulders. It joined with eleven other unions to form the National Federation of Foundry Trades in 1918 but remained an independent union until its 2000 members merged with the Amalgamated Union of Foundry Workers (AUFW) in 1966.

The Amalgamated Society of Coremakers of Great Britain & Ireland was formed in 1902 when a number of small unions representing Coremakers amalgamated. The union never had more than a few thousand members and in 1920 along with the Friendly Society of Ironfounders and the Associated Iron Moulders of Scotland merged to form the National Union of Foundry Workers (NUFW).