John Inglis (trade unionist)

John Inglis (1833 or 1834 – 8 January 1911) was a Scottish trade union leader.

Contemporary sketch of Inglis

Born in Douglas, Lanarkshire, Inglis worked as a blacksmith at an ironworks in Glasgow.[1] He came to prominence in 1857, as a founder of the Scottish United Operative Blacksmiths' Protection and Friendly Society. The following year, he was elected as the union's auditor, then in 1859 as its president, and in 1863 as its general secretary.[2]

Inglis represented his union at the Trades Union Congress (TUC), serving on the Parliamentary Committee of the TUC for fifteen years, and as its chairman in 1882/3. While on the committee, he played a leading role in campaigning for the Trade Union Act 1871, which formally legalised trade unions in the UK, the Trade Union Act 1876, and the Fatal Accident Inquiry Act.[2]

Inglis remained secretary of the union until his retirement in 1907.[3] Although it remained small, under his leadership it began organising workers across the UK, and was renamed as the Associated Blacksmiths' Society.[4]

References
  1. Angela Tuckett, The Blacksmiths' History: What Smithy Workers Gave Trade Unionism, p.118
  2. Trades Union Congress, "Obituary: Mr John Inglis", Annual Report of the 1912 Trades Union Congress, p.86
  3. Trades Union Congress, "Obituary: Mr J. Thomson, OBE, JP", Annual Report of the 1919 Trades Union Congress, p.205
  4. John B. Smethurst and Peter Carter, Historical Directory of Trade Unions, vol.6, pp.314-320
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