1835 - Bookbinders Consolidated Relief Fund - Provincial formed
1865 - Pattern Card Makers Society formed
1872 - Bookbinders Consolidated Relief Fund - Provincial changed name to Bookbinders and Machine Rulers Consolidated Union
1889 - Printers' Labourers' Union formed
1890-1974 - Printing and Kindred Trades Federation formed
1899 - Printers' Labourers' Union changed name to Operative Printers' Assistants Union
1904-1912 - Operative Printers' Assistants Union changed name to National Society of Operative Printers and Assistants (NATSOPA)
Examples of a collection of membership cards spanning 57 years - Leonard Roe joined the London Society of Compositors in Aug 1912, and left the NGA in 1969
1911 - National Union of Bookbinders and Machine Rulers formed from an amalgamated of 4 bookbinders' societies including the Bookbinders and Machine Rulers' Consolidated Union.
1914 - National Union of Printing and Paper Workers formed from an amalgamation of 3 unions.
1921 - National Union of Bookbinders and Machine Rulers amalgamated with the National Union of Printing and Paper Workers and changed name to National Union of Printing, Bookbinding, Machine Ruling and Paper Workers.
1928 - National Union of Printing, Bookbinding, Machine Ruling and Paper Workers changed name to National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers.
1963 - Pattern Card Makers Society joined the National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers
1966 - National Society of Operative Printers and Assistants (NATSOPA) merged with the National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers to form Society of Graphical and Allied Trades (SOGAT) division 1 and division A respectively.
1970 - SOGAT division 1 and division A dissolved into several new bodies including the National Society of Operative Printers and Media Personnel (formerly National Society of Operative Printers and Assistants, NATSOPA) and SOGAT (formerly National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers)
1975 - SOGAT merged with the Scottish Graphical Association to form Society of Graphical and Allied Trades '75 (SOGAT '75)
1982 - SOGAT '75 merged with the National Society of Operative Printers and Media Personnel to form Society of Graphical and Allied Trades '82 (SOGAT '82)
1991 - National Graphical Association amalgamated with the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades '82 (SOGAT '82) to form the Graphical, Paper and Media Union
2004 - Graphical, Paper and Media Union merged with AMICUS
2007 - AMICUS merged with the Transport and General Workers Union to form Unite.
Unite still exists today, click here to visit their Web site
Resources about printing and bookbinding unions held in the library collection
Bookbinders and Machine Rulers Consolidated Union (TU/PRINTB)
- Trade circulars and reports, 1872-1914
- Minute book, 1898-1902
- Other papers
- Manchester branch records
National Society of Operative Printers and Assistants (TU/PRINTC)
- Journals and reports 1917-1980
- Other papers
- Branch records including Grimsby, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Preston and Bradford
National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers (TU/PRINTA)
- Annual reports and balance sheets, 1936-1965 (not complete)
- Minutes, 1931-1966
- Delegate meeting reports, 1936-1964
- Rule books, Agreements and other papers
- Branch records including Belfast, Blackpool, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Castleton, Oldham and Rochdale, Hull, Leeds, London, Manchester, Sheffield, Watford, Yorkshire and Yorkshire Ridings group.
Pattern Card Makers Society (TU/PRINTG)
- Minutes, 17 Nov 1938-22 Nov 1953
Printing and Kindred Trades Federation (TU/PRINTF)
- Annual Reports 1909, 1923, 1954, 1960-1973 (not complete)
- Branch records: Bradford, Hull
Society of Graphical and Allied Trades (TU/PRINTA)
- Annual reports and balance sheets, 1966-1974
- Delegate meeting reports, 1964-1974
- Rule books, Agreements and other papers
- Branch records including Birmingham, Grimsby and district, London and Merseyside
Society of Graphical and Allied Trades 1975 (TU/PRINTD)
- Annual reports and balance sheets, 1975-1981
- Delegate council meeting reports, 1976-1980
- Rule books, Other papers including agreements and publications
- Branch records including Manchester and Bury
Society of Graphical and Allied Trades 1982 (TU/PRINTE)
- Annual reports, 1983-1987
- Delegate council meeting reports, 1982-1991
- Rule books, Other papers including correspondence and handbooks
- Branch records including Humberside district, Huddersfield, London and Manchester
Ellic Howe and John Child, The Society of London Bookbinders, 1780-1951 (1952) - Shelfmark: B31
Clement J Bundock, The story of the National Union of Printing Bookbinding and Paper Workers (1958) - Shelfmark: J26
John Gennard and Peter Bain, History of the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades (1990) - Shelfmark: I48
James Moran, NATSOPA, seventy-five years: a history of the National Society of Operative Printers and Assistants (1889-1964) (1964) - Shelfmark: B29
Resources held by the Modern Records Centre
Other records are held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick, including:
National Union of Bookbinders and Machine Rulers (MSS.39/BKM)
Printing and Kindred Trades Federation (MSS.43/PKT, MSS.39/PKT, MSS.28/PKT)
National Society of Operative Printers and Assistants (NATSOPA)/National Society of Operative Printers, Graphical and Media Personnel (MSS.39/NSP)
National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers (MSS.39/NPB, MSS.589/NPB)
Society of Graphical and Allied Trades (SOGAT) (MSS.39)
