National Federation of Construction Unions (formerly the National Federation of Building Trade Operatives).

This collection includes: rules and records concerning amalgamation, 1916-1971; executive and general council minutes, 1939-1968; annual and special conference records, 1921-1971; records of Composite Section of the NFBTO/NFCU, 1924-1972; annual statements of accounts, 1947-1968; subject and correspondence files and other operational records,1913-1979; periodical and other publications, 1919-1972; research papers, c1913-1976.

The movement towards a federation of building trade unions had existed from the latter part of the nineteenth century. The National Federation of Building Trade Operatives grew out of a meeting of building trades unions in September 1914. The working body which ensued was known variously as the National Building Trade Council and the National Associated Building Trades Council until February 1918 when the federation was established. In 1969 the name was changed to the National Federation of Construction Unions. After the formation of the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians in 1971 the federation voted to end its existence.

Reference: Leslie M. Wood, 'A union to build. The story of UCATT', (London: Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians, 1979).

This collection is available to researchers by appointment at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick. See http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/using/

The initial deposit (reference: MSS.78/BO) was included with the records of the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT) deposited in 1974. Items with references beginning MSS.170 were deposited by the London Region of the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians in 1977 and 1978.

Items references beginning MSS.78/BO/UM were donated by the Civil Engineering Library of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in Nov 1978. The group was formed from duplicates in the UMIST holding of NFBTO records. Further material was transferred from UMIST in 1999 and 2000.

Copies of some of these catalogues are available in paper format in the Centre's searchroom, at the National Register of Archives in London and in Chadwyck-Healey's National Inventory of Documentary Sources.

Link to full catalogue: http://mrc-catalogue.warwick.ac.uk/records/BTO

There are no restrictions on the use of this archive, apart from the requirements of copyright law.

Duplicated material, including Government publications, has been weeded from this archive.

Further deposits are not expected.

The Centre also holds the papers of the National Federation of Building Trade Employers (ref. MSS.187).