of Blastfurnacemen joined the ISTC. However the decline of British manufacturing jobs in these industries led the union to diversify its membership merging with the National League of the Blind and Disabled (NLBD) in 1999 and the Power Loom Carpet Weavers and Textile Workers Union (PLCWTWU) in 2000. National Union of Knitwear, Footwear and Apparel Trades (KFAT) The National Union of Knitwear, Footwear & Apparel Trades (KFAT) was formed in 1991 by the merger of the National Union of Hosiery and Knitwear Workers (NUHKW) with National Union of Footwear, Leather and Allied Trades (NUFLAT). NUFLAT had been formed in 1873 following a meeting of various regional associations. The history of the NUHKW can be traced back to 1776 and the formation of the Stocking Makers Association in Nottingham. National League of the Blind and the Disabled (NLBD) The NLBD claims that it is the oldest organisation of disabled people in the world. It was formed as a trade union in 1899. The NLBD campaigned for disabled people from formation and in 1920 lobbied parliament successfully to introduce the world's first piece of blind person specific legislation, the Blind Persons Act 1920. This tradition of advocacy contributed to the creation of the Disability Rights Commission and the Disability Discrimination Act 2005. Subsequent mergers In 2008 the membership of the British Union of Social Work Employees voted in favour of a transfer of engagements to Community. Their merger with Community in 2008 brought BUSWE members back into a TUC affiliated union. In a strange case of history repeating itself, BASW decided in 2011 to set up yet another trade union arm (this time called the "Social Workers' Union") but this body has no connection whatsoever with BUSWE branches within Community. The Staff Union West Bromwich Building Society, with around 500 members, merged into Community in February 2018. Blue chip staff association transferred to Community in 2019 followed by the Independent Democratic Union in 2020. From October 2020, Voice: The Union for Education Professionals became a part of Community, becoming its education and early years section. Affiliations Community is affiliated to a number of national, European and International union structures. At a national level, Community is affiliated to the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) and Wales TUC. At a European level, Community affiliates to the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), European Metalworkers' Federation (EMF), European Trade Union Federation -