Bakers, Food and Allied Workers' Union

History

The union dates its origin to 1847. The Manchester Friendly Association of Operative Bakers was established in 1849, and by 1854 it was led by Thomas Hodson. Under his leadership the union first expanded to represent bakers in Salford, becoming the first bakers' union in England to cover a wide area, though its membership remained below 200. In 1861 Hodson led the formation of the Amalgamated Union of Operative Bakers, bringing together unions in Bristol, Cheltenham, Hanley, Liverpool, London, Newcastle, Warrington and Wigan, along with his Manchester society. The new union gained prominence when its campaign for improvements in working conditions led to the Bakehouse Regulations Act 1863.

In about 1870 the union relocated its headquarters to London, but the majority of its members were still in Lancashire. Other unions gradually joined, including the South Wales Federation of Journeymen Bakers in 1893. By 1891 the union had 4,000 members, nearly half of them in London. In 1902, the union officially affiliated to the Labour Party, which had been founded two years prior.

For many years the union did not admit workers whom it considered unskilled. This led its London organiser, C. Mann, to form the rival National Union of Bakery Trade Workers in 1913. The following year the Operative Bakers agreed to accept all workers in the industry, and renamed itself as the Amalgamated Union of Operative Bakers, Confectioners and Allied Workers of Great Britain and Ireland. Mann's breakaway union was dissolved. In 1920 the union agreed to transfer its members in the milling industry to the rival Dock, Wharf and Riverside Workers' Union.

The union focused its campaigns on shorter working hours, better pay and working conditions. In 1919 it led a major strike against night work, but this was unsuccessful. It recruited well in cooperative bakeries, but struggled elsewhere, until the Second World War. In 1935 it barred master bakers from holding office in the union.

The union became more centralised in the 1950s. In 1964 it shortened its name to become the Bakers' Union. This was later lengthened to the present name.

Modern history

In July 2015 the BFAWU endorsed Jeremy Corbyn's campaign in the Labour Party leadership election.

In 2017 members of the BFAWU staged the first strikes at McDonald's in the UK.

During the Labour Party leadership election in 2020 the union backed Rebecca Long-Bailey. It also backed Richard Burgon for deputy leader.

In November 2020 the union announced that it planned to consult its members on whether to remain affiliated to the Labour Party following the suspension of former party leader Jeremy Corbyn. In September 2021 it announced during Labour's annual conference that it would disaffiliate from the party, citing dissatisfaction with Keir Starmer's leadership.

In 2023, the Solidarity Across Land Trades union (SALT) became an affiliate of the BFAWU.

Solidarity Across Land Trades

Solidarity Across Land Trades (SALT) is a trade union representing land-based workers such as those working in agriculture, horticulture, floriculture, forestry, and conservation. The union has been affiliated to the BFAWU since 2023.

In 2025, SALT and the BFAWU published a report on the conditions of those working in agroecology.

Leadership

General secretaries

:1864: Thomas Hodson :1883: John Jenkins :1915: John William Banfield :1940: Joseph Thomasson :1952: Jock Halliday :1968: Stanley Gretton :1975: Sam Maddox :1979: Joe Marino :2010: Ronnie Draper :2020: Sarah Woolley

Presidents

:1910: A. F. Bentley :1914: J. H. Brown :1926: T. Ferris :1927: H. Keen :1946: Ernest Haynes :1969: Chris Childs :1977: Terry O'Neill :1995: Dennis Nash :2000: Ronnie Draper :2010: Ian Hodson

Election results

The union sponsored Labour Party candidates in several Parliamentary elections, winning twice.

References

References

1. "BFAWU Form AR21 for year ended 31 December 2024".
2. Arthur Marsh and John B. Smethurst, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions'', vol.5, pp.152-198
3. (28 September 2021). "BFAWU disaffiliates from Labour".
4. Syal, Rajeev. (5 July 2015). "Jeremy Corbyn gets backing of Unite in Labour leadership race". [[The Guardian]].
5. (September 4, 2017). "McDonald's workers to go on strike in Britain for first time". The Guardian.
6. (17 January 2020). "Left-wing bakers' union nominates Long-Bailey and Burgon". LabourList.
7. (20 November 2020). "Bakers' Union plans to consult members on staying affiliated to Labour". LabourList.
8. "BREAKING NEWS: BFAWU disaffiliates from Labour". Politics.co.uk.
9. Merrick, Rob. (28 September 2021). "Bakers’ Union Severs Links with Labour for Neglecting Working-Class ‘Aims and Hopes’". The Independent.
10. Rodgers, Sienna. (2021-09-28). "Bakers' Union disaffiliates from Labour during 2021 party conference".
11. "ABOUT".
12. (2025). "Burnt Out, Overworked & Underpaid: A workers’ inquiry into labour conditions in agroecology". SALT union.
13. (June 2024). "National Minimum Wage requirements in the context of on-farm training & volunteering".
14. Heffron, Alex. (2025-02-25). "The UK farmer protests you probably haven’t heard about".
15. "History".
16. (Autumn 2010). "Ronnie Draper is elected General Secretary".
17. (2017). "Trade unions and the political culture of the Labour Party, 1931-1940". University of Exeter.
18. [[Labour Party (UK). Labour Party]], ''Report of the Twenty-second Annual Conference of the Labour Party'', pp.255-272