Historical Directory of Trade Unions, 6 : Including unions in Building and Construction, Agriculture, Fishing, Chemicals, Wood and Woodworking, Transport, Engineering and Metal Working, Government, Civil and Public Service, Shipbuilding, Ener

713 Pages·2009·4.41 MB·English

by  John B Smethurst

Historical Directory of
Trade Unions
Volume 6,
Including unions in: Building and Construction,
Agriculture, Fishing, Chemicals, Wood and
Woodworking, Transport, Engineering and Metal
Working, Government, Civil and Public Service,
Shipbuilding, Energy and Extraction in the United
Kingdom and Ireland

Edited by

John B. Smethurst and Peter Carter

Foreword by Christine Coates
Historical Directory of Trade Unions
This page has been left blank intentionally
Historical Directory of
Trade Unions
JoHn B. SMETHUrST and PETEr CArTEr
Foreword by Christine Coates
Volume 6
Including unions in
Building and Construction, Agriculture, Fishing,
Chemicals, W ood and Woodworking, Transport,
Engineering and Metal Working, Government, Civil
and Public Service, Energy and Extraction in the United
Kingdom and Ireland, Shipbuilding
© John B. Smethurst 2009
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission
of the publisher.
John B. Smethurst has asserted his moral right under the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.
Published by
Ashgate Publishing Limited Ashgate Publishing Company
Wey Court East Suite 420
Union Road 101 Cherry Street
Farnham Burlington
Surrey, GU9 7PT VT 05401-4405
England USA
www.ashgate.com
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Historical directory of trade unions Vol. 6: Including unions in building
and construction, agriculture, fishing, chemicals, wood and woodworking,
transport, engineering and metal working, government, civil and public service,
shipbuilding, energy and extraction in the United Kingdom and Ireland
1. Labor unions – Great Britain – Directories 2. Labor unions – Great
Britain – History 3. Labor union members – Great Britain – Biography
I. Smethurst, John B. II. Carter, Peter
331.8’8’02541
Library of Congress C ontrol number: PCN 80-151653
ISBN 978-0-7546-6683-7
Contents
Foreword ix
Introduction and Acknowledgements xi
Preface xiv
Abbreviations xvi
PArT onE: BUILDInG AnD ConSTrUCTIon
Building and Construction – United Kingdom 4
Brickmakers 6
Building Trades: Ireland 7
General Building Trades and Labourers 7
Glaziers and Plumbers 14
Masons, Paviours and Bricklayers 16
Painters 21
Slaters and Tilers 28
PArT TWo: AGrICULTUrE AnD FISHInG
Agriculture 34
Fishing 53
PArT THrEE: CHEMICALS AnD oTHEr TrADES
Chemical Workers 68
Glass 74
Pottery 87
Leather Workers 96
Boots and Shoes 96
Cricket Ball Makers 104
Fancy Leather and Other Trades 105
Furriers 108
Glovers 109
Harness Makers, Saddlers and Others 110
Preparatory Workers 112
Textiles 116
Tobacco 120
v
PArT FoUr: WooD AnD rELATED TrADES – UK AnD
IrELAnD
Basket and Cane Makers 126
Coopers 129
Funeral Workers 132
Gilders 133
Packing Case Makers 137
Pole and Stick Makers 138
Sawyers and Other Wood Workers 139
Woodcutting Machinists 142
PArT FIVE: TrAnSPorT
Dock, River and Waterside Workers 146
England, Scotland and Wales 146
Ireland 167
Free Labour Organisations 172
Road, Rail and Air Transport 174
Seamen and Mariners 182
PArT SIx: EnGInEErInG AnD METAL WorKInG
ASE To UNITE 194
General Engineering 199
Irish Engineering, Electronics and Enginemen 214
Enginemen 217
Metal Working Trades 219
Brass Workers 219

Chainmakers, Nail, Nut and Bolt Making 231
Cutlery and Edge Tools 247
Farriers 257
Goldsmiths, Silversmiths and Watchmakers 261
Iron and Steel Workers 271
Locksmiths, Keysmiths and Safe Makers 283
Sheet Metal Workers, Coppersmiths, Braziers, Heating
and Domestic Engineers 288
Smiths and Hammermen 314
Vehicle Builders 321
Wire Workers 325
vi
PArT SEVEn: SECTIon onE – CEnTrAL GoVErnMEnT
Public Service Trade Unionism in the United Kingdom 336
Public Service Trade Unionism in Ireland 339
Public Service Trade Unionism in Northern Ireland 343
Agriculture, Land, Transport, Education and Research 348
Board of Trade, Ministries of Labour, Employment and Pensions 352
Civil and Public Service Trade Unions in Northern Ireland and the
Isle of Man 355
General UK Civil Service Organisations 359
Irish Civil and Public Service Organisations 365
Other Governmental Departmental Organisations 377
Revenue, Customs and Excise 382
Inland Revenue 382
Customs and Excise Manipulative Grades 385
Customs Officers, England 386
Customs Officers, Ireland 388
General Finance and Treasury Staff Organisations 389
Scottish Office Organisations 391
War Department 395
Admiralty 396
Air Ministry 405
Army 405
General War Department Organisations 406
PArT SEVEn: SECTIon TWo – CIVIL AnD PUBLIC SErVICES
Fire Service Organisations 414
Health – UK and Irelan d 420
Health Providers Organisations 421
Ireland 441
Ministerial Organisations 447
Home Office and Related Staff Organisations 448
Police and Prison Officers 451
Postal Service Organisations – Ireland 456
Post and Telephone – UK 457
PArT EIGHT: EnErGy AnD ExTrACTIon
Miners and Quarrymen 480
Colliery Enginemen 522
Colliery Mechanics and Cokemen 524
vii
Colliery Winders 527
Deputies, Overmen and Shotfirers 528
Other Colliery Workers 534
Quarrymen 536
Tin Miners 539
Utilities 541
PArT nInE: SHIPBUILDInG
Admiralty Dockyards 548
General Shipbuilding 550
Shipbuilders and Shipwrights 550
Select Bibliography of Trade Union Histories 597
Index 621

viii
Foreword
When I was approached by Peter Carter to write a foreword to volume
6, I confess to feeling daunted at the idea of following in the footsteps of
Lord Asa Briggs who introduced the previous volumes in this remarkable
series. But then – who better to confirm the essential ‘usefulness’ of this
irreplaceable resource, than a librarian who sees these books in daily
use!
I am astonished at the enormity of the task facing the succession of
editors of this series in recording the names and histories of the thousands
of organisations which working people have formed and joined – not
only to protect themselves, but to change the society in which they live.
In the UK, tens of millions of people have been members and 5,000
trade unions are known to have existed at one time or another. The peak
year seems to have been 1896, when 1358 unions were registered. John
Gorman, in his book Banner Bright, records that scores of societies were
represented on the 1896 May Day March in London carrying £20,000
worth of banners. The numbers of unions in existence has decreased each
decade since then, but in 1940, there were still over 1000 unions, only
223 of which were affiliated to the Trades Union Congress.
This volume provides additional information on entries in earlier
volumes plus new records. I am pleased to see the inclusion of more
Irish records. Northern Ireland today is the region with the highest union
density – c.40 per cent of employees. For similar reasons, it is especially
useful to have the new large section on ‘government’ unions, which
dominate current union activity with some 60 per cent of public sector

employees unionised and similarly 60 per cent of all union members now
working in the public sector. In 1920, there were only two civil service
unions and four post office unions affiliated to the TUC: yet the same year,
the union leader W.J. Brown claimed there were over 200 organisations
in the Civil Service covering just 370,000 staff. Many new ones had been
established during the First World War to take advantage of arbitration
facilities, and many more formed afterwards to seek protection for
their members through the national and departmental Whitley Councils
– notably in the post office, civil service and Royal Dockyards. Many of
these organisations failed or merged with sturdier outfits, but since the
Second World War waves of professional bodies and staff associations
in the health, education and other sectors have adopted more traditional
union roles with the tightening and hardening of management practice.
ix