The Sign and Display Trade Union (SDTU) was British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 trade union

Trade union

A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...

 that existed between 1917 and 1972.

Formed in 1917 as the National Union of Sign, Glass and Ticket Writers and Kindred Trades it represented workers engaged as a sign, glass

Glass

Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...

, poster

Poster

A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and informative. Posters may be...

 or ticket

Ticket (admission)

A ticket is a voucher that indicates that one has paid for admission to an event or establishment such as a theatre, movie theater, amusement park, zoo, museum, concert, or other attraction, or permission to travel on a vehicle such as an airliner, train, bus, or boat, typically because one has...

 writer, or in any branch of subsidiary and allied trades.

The union remained active during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Between 1939-44, correspondence covered general union matters such as wage

Wage

A wage is a compensation, usually financial, received by workers in exchange for their labor.Compensation in terms of wages is given to workers and compensation in terms of salary is given to employees...

 claims and holiday allowances and a Cinema Poster Trade Joint Agreement was negotiated.

In 1944, the Sign and Display Trades Union signed an agreement of mutual recognition with the National Association of Theatrical and Kine Employees (NATKE)

National Association of Theatrical Television and Kine Employees

The National Association of Theatrical Television and Kine Employees was an entertainment trade union in the United Kingdom.The union was founded in the aftermath of a strike at the Adelphi Theatre in London in 1890, as the United Kingdom Theatrical and Music Hall Operatives' Union...

, acknowledging the demarcation

Demarcation dispute

A demarcation dispute occurs when two labour unions claim the right to represent the same class or group of workers. This is particularly important in compulsory arbitration systems of industrial relations, as in Australia; where only one union may be the registered representative of a particular...

 between the two unions in the cinema industry.

The National Union of Sign, Glass and Ticket Writers and Kindred Trades changed its name to the Sign and Display Trade Union in 1945.

In 1949 two other unions; the Northern Glass Workers' Employees' Association and the National Society of Decorative Glass Workers of the United Kingdom transferred their engagements to the Sign and Display Trades Union.

In 1958 the SDTU was involved in a dispute with Glasgow neon sign

Neon sign

Neon signs are made using electrified, luminous tube lights that contain rarefied neon or other gases. They are the most common use for neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in December, 1910 by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show. While they are used worldwide, neon signs...

 manufacturers; Laird Neon. Glasgow University Principal

Principal of the University of Glasgow

The Principal of the University of Glasgow is the working head of the University, acting as its chief executive. He is responsible for the day-to-day management of the University as well as its strategic planning and administration. The Principal is appointed by the University Court and is...

, Hector Hetherington

Hector Hetherington

Professor Sir Hector Hetherington GBE DL was a Scottish philosopher, who was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool from 1927 to 1936, and Principal of the University of Glasgow until 1961.-Early life:...

, was appointed as arbitrator.

In 1972 the union transferred its engagements to the National Society of Operative Printers, Graphical and Media Personnel. At this point, it had fewer than 500 members.