ABSTRACT
The history of cotton trade unionism in the twentieth century has attracted very little attention from labour historians. The cotton industry, horizontally rather than vertically organised, was divided into two major sectors, spinning and weaving. There was no comparable system of piecers in weaving. Entrants to the industry, usually half-timers, initially earned nothing for the early months when they were learning the skill. The massive debt incurred during the re-capitalisation of the industry during the short post-war boom ensured that there was no capital available for the introduction of new technology during the 1920s and 1930s. The economic crisis of the inter-war years placed a great strain on collective bargaining in the cotton industry, leading to a growth in state intervention in industrial relations. The political and industrial defeats of the cotton operatives were caused by the massive decline of their industry. Membership of the cotton trade unions was approximately halved between 1920 and 1939.
