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Title: HISTORY OF THE TAILOR AND GARMENT WORKERS UNION

Reference number: 0025

Date: 1945 - 1951c

Director: [d. Francis Gysin]

Sponsor: National Union of Tailor and Garment Workers

Production company: Data Film Unit

Sound: sound

Original format: 16mm

Colour: bw

Fiction: non-fiction

Running time: 20.00 mins

Description: Footage of Union conference attended and addressed by the Prime Minister, Clement Attlee and Ernest Bevin. This is followed by a dramatised account of events surrounding the origins of the National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers. [incomplete]

Only print of the film in the UK, aka "Through a Needle's Eye". See Paper Archives 4/20/83.

Credits: [p. Donald Alexander sc. Montague Slater ph. James Ritchie ed. Peter Pickering]

Shotlist: [Please note the first shotlist represents a full shotlist for this title. The film as held by Scottish Screen Archive seems incomplete: the last scene has factory owners discussing their ideas for controlling unions, but no resolution of the story, and end credits are missing at the end [see latter shotlist for actual footage held]

Credits (.06); Shots of the 1949 Union Conference attended and addressed by Clement Attlee, PM, and Ernest Bevin (2.32); DATA Film Unit presents for the National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers Through a Needle's Eye. Enactment of the opening of the 1906 Sweated Industries Exhibition and shots of news cuttings in protest to its claims (3.15) ; The story of the different union movements in the garment trade in the early 1900s with scenes of the conditions and attitudes in the industry towards unions, of both workers and employers. Scenes in 1912 of women's attempts to form unions and the reaction to this by worker and employers (19.30)

Print as held at Scottish Screen Archive [shotlisted at 25 fps]
Credits; Shots of the 1949 Union Conference attended and addressed by Clement Attlee, PM, and Ernest Bevin; DATA Film Unit presents for the National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers Through a needle's eye. Enactment of the opening of the 1906 Sweated Industries Exhibition and shots of news cuttings in protest to its claims (3.13) Two men walk away from the exhibition, past a horse and cart (4.54) ints sweat shop, new girl takes her place at a work table, the head woman enters and inspects work (5.36) ironing man speaks of reporting the sweatshop to the union, workers sing "Clementine" over headwoman's complaints (6.07) finishers bring in their work and are paid 2 1/2d per pair (6.47) headwoman inspects and rejects the new girl's work, sets her less lucrative work (9.19) uncovered gas lights are lit gvs sweat shop (11.06) new girl and ironing man walk out together, and onto the street (12.48) 1912 ints people entering hall, woman speaks to gathered workers (15.00) girl using sewing machine,speaks of union organisation to two other women (16.03) union organiser holds a meeting outside a factory (18.04) ints factory owners discuss means of thwarting union activity (18.58)