Isaac Mitchell (trade unionist)

Isaac’s father, Alexander Mitchell (1816 – 1894) was a wool dyer and scourer, born in Eccles who lived all his life in the borders area between Scotland and England, and died in Hawick in 1894.

He moved back to Galashiels in Scotland in 1894, where he founded an early branch of the Independent Labour Party, which was only five years old at the time.

[3] The GFTU were created by the TUC to bring all trade unions under one banner to act as an arbitration committee for industrial disputes and administrating a national strike fund.

[5] In contrast to other leading figures in the GFTU, Mitchell focused on conciliation and attracting new member unions to affiliate.

He was notably supportive of increases in the salaries of trade union leaders,[7] and led initial investigations into the Clyde Workers' Committee, informing David Lloyd George that the Socialist Labour Party was centrally involved.