The Cambrian Miners' Association, also known as the Rhondda District Miners' Association, was an early

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 the

Rhondda Valley Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley ( cy, Cwm Rhondda ), is a former coalmining area in South Wales, historically in the county of Glamorgan. It takes its name from the River Rhondda, and embraces two valleys – the larger Rhondda Fawr valley ...

, in Wales. The Amalgamated Association of Miners (AAM) began recruiting members in the

in 1870, William Brown chairing a recruitment meeting. Members in the valley were part of a largely successful strike in 1871, and early in 1872 they were placed in their own, Rhondda District. Rhondda District secretary, Williams Davies, disappeared partway through a lock out in 1875, and the AAM collapsed soon afterwards. The Rhondda District, like the other surviving Welsh districts, instead joined 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 ...

, and was represented by Henry Rowlands at a conference of its Monmouthshire and South Wales Council, in 1876. Mabon had been the AAM's last agent in South Wales, and he was elected as president of a reformed AAM in 1877. He relocated to the Rhondda in 1877. That year, the Cambrian Miners' Association split, the minority becoming the Rhondda House Coal Miners' Association, and the majority becoming the Rhondda Steam Coal Miners' Association, choosing Mabon as its agent. Under Mabon's leadership, the union grew rapidly, and his success led to the creation of numerous other unions of coal miners in South Wales. The Cambrian Miners remained the largest of these unions, membership reaching 14,000 by 1885, although this fell to 10,000 by 1893. Retention was good partly because the union worked with colliery clerks to deduct subscriptions directly from members' wages. The union was led by an executive committee, which alone held the ability to order industrial action and determine strike pay. However, a monthly meeting of delegates from each mine made other policy decisions. It supported the "sliding scale", whereby wages rose and fell in line with the export price of coal, agreed through a joint committee with employers. The

Miners' Federation of Great Britain The Miners' Federation of Great Britain (MFGB) was established after a meeting of local mining trade unions in Newport, Wales in 1888. The federation was formed to represent and co-ordinate the affairs of local and regional miners' unions in Engla ...

(MFGB) opposed this practice, so the Cambrian Miners did not affiliate to the MFGB. Mabon was elected as the Member of Parliament for

Rhondda Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley ( cy, Cwm Rhondda ), is a former coal mining, coalmining area in South Wales, historically in the county of Glamorgan. It takes its name from the River Rhondda, and embraces two valleys – the larger Rhondda Fa ...

at the 1885 general election, with the sponsorship of the union. In 1896, the union's secretary, William Evans, was also approved as a candidate, but he ultimately did not stand for election. The union's other leading figure was its treasurer, Thomas Davies, owner of a pub in

Ton Pentre Ton Pentre () is a village in the Rhondda Valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Historically part of Glamorgan, Ton Pentre, a former industrial coal mining village, is a district of the community of Pentre. The old district ...

. In 1892, the union joined a committee, which for the first time brought together those Welsh coal-mining unions which supported the sliding scale, and those which did not, and in 1893 Mabon was appointed as its president. Subsequently, the employers ended the sliding scale in response to the

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. ...

. This led the Cambrian Miners to merge with the other local unions, forming 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 ...

. The area covered by the Cambrian Miners' Association became the No. 1 District of the new federation.{{cite news , title=Cambrian Miners' Association wound up , work=Pontypridd Chronicle , date=4 November 1898

References

Trade unions established in 1872 Trade unions disestablished in the 1890s Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom Mining trade unions Coal mining in Wales Rhondda Valley Trade unions in Wales