Skip to content

Archive Collections at HHC: Trade Unions

Guide to material held at Hull History Centre arranged by research theme, record creator and document type, with copies of published source guides.

On this page:

“Let the Unions become engines for the working people to right their wrongs. Not benefit societies, or burial clubs. Let the Unions become civilian regiments to fight in the cause of the people”

Richard Llewellyn, How Green Was My Valley 

Trade Unions

Research Themes Supported

Hull History Centre holds the archival collections of a number of trade unions and local branches. Such collections can aid research into many areas including:

  • Employment Disputes
  • Female Unionism
  • TUC
  • Hull Trades Council
  • Engineering Unions
  • Seamen’s Unions
  • Teaching Unions
  • Firemen’s Unions
  • General and Municipal Workers Unions
  • Builders’ Unions and Related Construction Unions
  • Shipbuilding and Related Unions
  • Working Class Activism

Typical Record Formats

Trade Union records commonly include minutes, correspondence, press cuttings, publications, advice leaflets, and some membership records.

Key collections

The following collections have significant research potential in the area of trade union records:

  • National and Local Government Officers Association, Hull and District Branch (C DUN)
  • Amalgamated Slaters, Tilers and Roofing Operatives (U DSS)
  • National Association of School Masters / Union of Women Teachers (U DSA)

Further collections

The following PDF contains a list of HHC collections that may be useful to researchers interested in trade unions.

Additional supporting material

The following material may also be useful when researching this area:

  • Newspapers, which often contain reports of industrial disputes, strikes and make reference to union leaders and representatives.
  • ‘Businesses’ guide, which contains material created by employers and may include references to industrial disputes from employers’ perspectives.