Hilda Peace Unsworth (11 November 1918 – 26 November 2015) was a British trade union leader who served as the last president of the Amalgamated Weavers' Association.

Early life

Unsworth was born in Bolton on Armistice Day, and as a result was given the middle name "Peace".

Career

Unsworth worked in a cotton mill for many years and became involved in the Bolton Weavers' Association. The Bolton Weavers were unusual among trade unions in that a woman, Alice Foley, held a prominent position, becoming secretary in 1948. Unsworth became Foley's assistant, and when Foley retired, in 1961, Unsworth succeeded her as the full-time secretary of the union.[1][2][3]

Unsworth's period as secretary included the centenary of the founding of the union, and to mark this, she and her assistants visited every mill in the town and gave each member £1.[4]

In 1970, Unsworth was elected as the president of the Amalgamated Weavers' Association (AWA), the first woman to hold the post.[5] This enabled her to take part in numerous trade union delegations overseas, on which she would prioritise investigating equal rights, maternity care and the position of women prisoners.[1]

Unsworth was also the second woman to serve as president of the Bolton Trades Council.[6] The AWA became part of the Amalgamated Textile Workers' Union in 1974, but Unsworth remained leader of the Bolton Weavers until her retirement in 1978.[4] In retirement, she served as a magistrate,[1] and was chair and president of the Queen Street Mission Trust for many years.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 White, Frank (10 December 2015). "A tribute to Hilda Peace Unsworth - one of our unsung heroines". Bolton News. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  2. ↑ "Miss Alice Foley". The Guardian. 2 July 1974.
  3. ↑ "Re-equipment of cotton mills". The Guardian. 24 April 1961.
  4. 1 2 "Taylor's mills workers rewarded in centenary year". Bolton News. 24 November 2003. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  5. ↑ Bullen, Andrew (1984). The Lancashire Weavers Union: A Commemorative History. Amalgamated Textile Workers Union. pp. 69–70.
  6. ↑ "President". The Guardian. 22 January 1970.
  7. ↑ "Mission Trust still helps out". Bolton News. 3 December 2002.
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