National Union of Blastfurnacemen
National Union of Blastfurnacemen, Ore Miners, Coke Workers and Kindred Trades | |
Merged into | Iron and Steel Trades Confederation |
---|---|
Founded | 1888 |
Dissolved | 1985 |
Headquarters | 93 Borough Road West, Middlesbrough[1] |
Location | |
Members | 25,000 (1918) |
Key people | Joseph O'Hagan (General President) |
Affiliations | TUC, Labour |
The National Union of Blastfurnacemen, Ore Miners, Coke Workers and Kindred Trades (NUB) was a trade union in England and Wales which existed between 1888 and 1985. It represented process workers in the British iron and steel industry.
History
[edit]Prior to the formation of the union, blastfurnacemen had been represented by the Associated Iron and Steel Workers of Great Britain, but this organisation concerned itself primarily with the puddlers.[2] In response, the Cleveland-based blastfurnacemen split away to form the "Cleveland Blastfurnacemen's Association" in 1878, followed in 1887 by a split in Cumberland. These two unions merged the following year to form the first National Association of Blastfurnacemen, which rapidly spread across the country.[2]
The union was re-founded in 1892 in Workington as the National Federation of Blastfurnacemen, with membership reaching 6,773 in 1898, then continuing a slow growth. In 1904, the organisation of the union devoted itself to organising in Cleveland and South Durham, while a new national federation of the same name was founded the following year, and the old union affiliated to it.[3] In 1909, it was renamed as the National Federation of Blastfurnacemen, Ore Miners and Kindred Trades, and membership topped 25,000 by 1918.[2] In 1921, the members of the federation united to form a single union, the "National Union of Blastfurnacemen, Ore Miners, Coke Workers and Kindred Trades".[3]
The union suffered a lengthy decline in membership, exacerbated by the closure of many foundries. By 1980, membership had fallen to less than 14,000, and it developed a close working relationship with the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation (ISTC), which already organised blast furnace workers in Scotland.[1] In 1985, the NUB merged into the ISTC.[4]
Election results
[edit]The union sponsored a Labour Party candidate in several Parliamentary elections.[5]
Election | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Position |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1918 general election | Middlesbrough | Patrick Walls | 2,710 | 14.2 | 3 |
1922 general election | Newark | Henry Nixon | 8,378 | 35.2 | 2 |
1923 general election | The Wrekin | Henry Nixon | 11,657 | 53.2 | 1 |
1924 general election | The Wrekin | Henry Nixon | 11,132 | 44.4 | 2 |
1929 general election | Gloucester | Henry Nixon | 10,548 | 37.4 | 2 |
1955 general election | Tynemouth | James Finegan | 20,113 | 35.8 | 2 |
1964 general election | Cleveland | James Tinn | 28,596 | 44.6 | 1 |
1966 general election | Cleveland | James Tinn | 34,303 | 53.6 | 1 |
1970 general election | Cleveland | James Tinn | 36,213 | 53.8 | 1 |
Feb 1974 general election | Redcar | James Tinn | 28,252 | 59.8 | 1 |
Oct 1974 general election | Redcar | James Tinn | 23,204 | 53.9 | 1 |
1979 general election | Redcar | James Tinn | 25,470 | 53.7 | 1 |
1983 general election | Redcar | James Tinn | 18,348 | 40.6 | 1 |
Leadership
[edit]General Secretaries
[edit]- 1889: William Snow
- 1892: Patrick Walls
- 1917: Thomas McKenna
- 1939: Ambrose Callighan
- 1948: Jack Owen
- 1953: Joseph O'Hagan
- 1968: James Barry
- 1970: Hector Smith
- 1982: Nick Leadley
General Presidents
[edit]- 1921: Henry Nixon
- 1939: Ambrose Callighan
- 1939: Harry France
- 1948: Joseph O'Hagan
- 1953–1959: Thomas Walsh
References
[edit]- ^ a b Eaton, Jack; Gill, Colin (1981). The Trade Union Directory. London: Pluto Press. pp. 135–137. ISBN 0861043502.
- ^ a b c Marsh, Arthur; Ryan, Victoria (1984). Historical Directory of Trade Unions: Engineering, shipbuilding and minor metal trades; coal mining and iron and steel; agriculture, fishing and chemicals. Vol. 2. Gower. p. 279. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
- ^ a b Marsh, Arthur Ivor; Ryan, Victoria (2009). Smethurst, John B. (ed.). Historical Directory of Trade Unions. Vol. 6. Ashgate Publishing. p. 279. ISBN 9780754693239. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
- ^ Marsh, Arthur Ivor; Ryan, Victoria (2009). Smethurst, John B. (ed.). Historical Directory of Trade Unions. Vol. 6. Ashgate Publishing. p. 280. ISBN 9780754693239. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
- ^ Parker, James (2017). Trade unions and the political culture of the Labour Party, 1931-1940 (PDF). Exeter: University of Exeter. p. 125.
External links
[edit]- Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom
- 1888 establishments in the United Kingdom
- Steel industry trade unions of the United Kingdom
- Mining trade unions
- Mining in the United Kingdom
- Trade unions established in 1888
- Trade unions disestablished in 1985
- Iron and Steel Trades Confederation amalgamations
- Trade unions based in North Yorkshire