[1] Dyeing and finishing were predominantly male trades, and thus had a greater union presence than other sections of the British textile industry.

[5] Closed shop agreements covered the majority of workers employed in textile finishing.

[7] By the start of the 1980s, membership had fallen to 56,843 due to widespread job losses in the industry.

However, membership was boosted when several other unions joined the NUDBTW: the Union of Jute, Flax and Kindred Textile Operatives in 1979,[7] and the Yorkshire Society of Textile Craftsmen and the Huddersfield and District Healders and Twisters Trade and Friendly Society in 1980.

Existing members of the TGWU who worked in the textile industry transferred into the new trade group, doubling its size.