[1] In 1863, Aucott was a founder of the Associated Ironworkers of Great Britain, a union for puddlers, based in Brierley Hill.
This collapsed five years later, but Aucott followed many of its members in transferring to the national Amalgamated Malleable Ironworkers of Great Britain.
When agreements over pay collapsed in 1875, many puddlers in the area went on an unofficial strike, and ignored Aucott's requests to return to work.
However, he became increasingly frustrated with the difficulties of organising workers in the industry and, in 1877, resigned all his trade union posts to become the superintendent at the Wednesbury Corporation Baths.
Through this, he frequently attended Trades Union Congress meetings, and supported the establishment of wages boards in other areas of the UK and elsewhere in Europe.