The Aberdare, Merthyr and Dowlais Miners' Association was a

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...

representing

coal miner Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

s in part of Glamorgan in South Wales.

Origins

There had been trade union activity in the area from the 1830s onwards and in 1857 a major dispute which became known as the Aberdare Strike occurred. However, there was little organization among the miners until the late 1860s when news of the formation of the

Amalgamated Association of Miners The Amalgamated Association of Miners (AAM) was formed in 1869 in Lancashire, at a time of increasing industrial conflict in the British coalfields. History The union was founded by Thomas Halliday and William Pickard, two miners' union agents who ...

(AAM) reached South Wales.

Early history

In 1870, the miners of the Aberdare Valley, like other parts of south Wales, started to organize and demand a wage increase. An Aberdare District of the AAM grew rapidly in the early 1870s. By April 1871 there were 3,000 members in and around Aberdare, 1,300 at nine lodges in

Mountain Ash Mountain ash may refer to: * ''Eucalyptus regnans'', the tallest of all flowering plants, native to Australia * Mountain-ashes or rowans, varieties of trees and shrubs in the genus ''Sorbus'' See also * Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf Mounta ...

further down the valley and a further 1,000 in Merthyr. Two months later the combined membership in the Aberdare and neighbouring Rhondda valleys had reached 9,000. In February 1872

Thomas Halliday Thomas Halliday may refer to: * Thomas Halliday (cricketer) (1904–1977), English cricketer * Thomas Halliday (engraver) (c. 1780–c. 1854), English coin and medal engraver * Thomas Halliday (trade unionist) (1835–1919), English trade unionis ...

and Alexander Macdonald addressed a mass meeting at the Temperance Hall, Aberdare. By 1873 the Aberdare District alone claimed 9,600 members. It survived the collapse of the AAM, affiliating for a short period instead to the

Miners' National Union The Miners' National Union (MNU) was a trade union which represented miners in Great Britain. History The union was founded in November 1863 at a five-day long conference at the People's Hall in Leeds. It was originally known as the National Ass ...

(MNU), but it dissolved before the end of the decade.

Later history

In 1879, a meeting at the Bute Arms in Aberdare established a new union, which initially represented about 4,000 miners, with David Morgan initially acting as chairman, then from 1882 becoming its full-time agent. In about 1881, a Merthyr and Dowlais District of the MNU was created, and these merged in 1884, forming what soon became known as the "Aberdare, Merthyr and Dowlais Miners' Association". Its membership stood at around 8000 by 1885 but this was said to include only around 40% of the mining workforce in the area. Constant bickering between miners' leaders was regarded as a major obstacle to unity. It membership stood at 7,000 members in 1892, but nearly collapsed in unsuccessful

Welsh coal strike of 1898 The Welsh coal strike of 1898 was an industrial dispute involving the colliers of South Wales and Monmouthshire. The strike began as an attempt by the colliers to remove the sliding scale, which determined their wage based on the price of coal. ...

, membership falling to just 500.

Robin Page Arnot Robert "Robin" Page Arnot (15 December 1890 – 18 May 1986), best known as R. Page Arnot, was a British Communist journalist and politician. Early years Robert Page Arnot, known to his friends as "Robin", was born in 1890 at Greenock, the s ...

, ''South Wales Miners'', p.60 Following the strike, the

South Wales Miners' Federation The South Wales Miners' Federation (SWMF), nicknamed "The Fed", was a trade union for coal miners in South Wales. It survives as the South Wales Area of the National Union of Mineworkers. Forerunners The Amalgamated Association of Miners (AA ...

(SWMF) was established, and it was decided to dissolve the union, instead establishing three districts of the SWMF, one each for Aberdare, Merthyr, and Dowlais.

General Secretaries

:1879: Joseph Price :c.1880: John Lewis :1889: John Thomas :1892: David Parker

References

Sources

* *{{cite journal, last=Pretty, first=David A., title=David Morgan ('Dai o'r Nant'), miners' agent. A Portrait of Leadership in the South Wales Coalfield, journal=Welsh History Review, date=June 2001, volume=20, issue=3, pages=495–531, url=http://welshjournals.llgc.org.uk/browse/viewobject/llgc-id:1084601/article/000016595, accessdate=10 March 2014 Trade unions established in 1879 Trade unions disestablished in the 1890s Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom Mining trade unions Coal mining in Wales Trade unions in Wales