William Trenwith and the Bootmakers Union
The Victorian Operative Bootmakers' Union was founded in 1879. William Trenwith, a Carlton bootmaker, was elected one of the Union's first Secretaries in 1883.
Trenwith fought for the abolition of outwork in the bootmaking industry to eliminate cheap labour and encourage unionisation.
The 1884 bootmakers' strike was co-ordinated by Trenwith from Trades Hall. This strike saw Victoria's first fullscale picketing and was an important campaign in the fight against sweated labour.
Trenwith became President of the Trades Hall Council in 1886 and appears on a wall plaque as a Life Governor of the Homeopathic Hospital in the same year.
Trenwith went on to become a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1889 to 1903, and later a Federal Senator.
Bootmakers Union at Eight Hour Procession
Photo: Melbourne University Archives
