National Amalgamated Union of Labour

National Amalgamated Union of Labour
Founded 1888
Date dissolved 1924
Merged into National Union of General and Municipal Workers
Affiliation TUC, NTWF, Labour Party
Key people J. N. Bell, General Secretary
Country United Kingdom

The National Amalgamated Union of Labour (NAUL) was a general union in the United Kingdom.

The trade union was founded in 1888 as the Tyneside and District Labourers Union, and it participated in the National Labour Federation. It soon established branches outside the Tyneside area, particularly in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, so in 1894 it renamed itself the "National Amalgamated Union of Labour". By 1897, it claimed 22,397 members, making it the fourth largest union in the UK. It affiliated to the Trades Union Congress in 1912.[1]

While the union accepted all workers, most of its members were involved in shipbuilding, ship repair, and engineering. In North East England, it also represented the majority of dockers, and many iron and steel workers, while in South Yorkshire, it represented most surface workers at coal mines. In London, it represented many cement workers, and around the country it had a significant number of chemical workers, builders' labourers and tramway maintenance workers.[2]

Following mergers with a large number of small trade unions, by 1919, the union had 148,000 members spread across the UK and was led by Joseph N. Bell. He formed the National Amalgamated Workers Union as a loose confederation with the Municipal Employees Association (MEA) and the Workers Union, but this dissolved in 1922, shortly before Bell's death.[1] Membership peaked at 170,000 in 1920, but then dropped rapidly, falling to only 53,000 by 1924. Women were initially not permitted to join the union, but this policy was changed, and by 1921 it had 25,000 women members, but this fell dramatically to only 2,000 in 1924.[2]

In 1924, the union merged with the National Union of General Workers and the MEA to form the National Union of General and Municipal Workers.[1] Of the union's former delegates, Spence became Assistant General Secretary of the new union, while Alfred James Bailey, Sam Bradley and Tom Williamson became district secretaries.[2]

General Secretaries

1888: William Stanley
1891: Alfred T. Dipper
1898: J. N. Bell
1923: Ralph Spence

References

  1. 1 2 3 Arthur Ivor Marsh, Historical Directory of Trade Unions, p.475
  2. 1 2 3 Clegg, H. A. (1954). General Union. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. pp. 15&ndash, 22.
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