The Durham Colliery Mechanics' 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 mechanics working at coal mines in

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

, in England. A predecessor of the union was founded in 1874 as the National Amalgamated Society of Colliery Mechanics, but it quickly lost members and by the end of 1878 was nearly defunct. At the start of 1879, a new union was formed, covering only the Durham coalfield. The

Durham Miners' Association The Durham Miners' Association (DMA) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. History The union was founded in 1869 and its membership quickly rose to 4,000, but within a year had fallen back to 2,000. In December 1870, William Crawford becam ...

saw it as a sectional, breakaway, group, and in its early years it was a conservative organisation, seeking to maintain the privileges of the mechanics as opposed to other colliery workers. By 1892, the union had 2,477 members, and this grew further, to 4,908 in 1911. That year, it was a founding member of the

National Federation of Colliery Mechanics' Associations The National Federation of Colliery Mechanics' Associations (NFCMA) was a federation bringing together unions representing mechanics at coal mines in Great Britain. The federation was established in 1911, on the initiative of the Durham Colliery M ...

, with other similar organisations in Northumberland and Scotland – in other areas of the country, mechanics remained part of the main miners' unions. It also worked with the

Durham County Colliery Enginemen's Association The Durham County Colliery Enginemen's Association was a trade union representing engine operators at coal mines in County Durham. The union was founded on 25 November 1871, at a meeting at the Half Moon Hotel in Durham, England, Durham. Workers ...

and the Durham Cokemen's Association in the Durham County Mining Federation Board. From 1897 to 1923, the union was led by John Wilkinson Taylor. It sponsored him as a Labour Party candidate, and he sat as a Member of Parliament from 1906 until 1919. Under his leadership, the union continued its growth, membership peaking at 9,509 in 1925. In 1944, the union became part of Group Number 1 of the National Union of Mineworkers, along with the Northumberland Colliery Mechanics and the Yorkshire Winders and Enginemen. During the UK miners' strike of 1984–1985, it was led by

Bill Etherington William Etherington (born 17 July 1941) is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Sunderland North from 1992 to 2010. Early life Bill Etherington was born in Sunderland, County Durham and was educated at the R ...

. Some members split away, forming an anti-strike Colliery Mechanics' Association which hoped to establish itself on a national basis, but the majority of members remained with the union.{{cite news , title=Scargill tries to rally breakaway loyalists , work=The Guardian , date=8 July 1985

General Secretaries

:1874: F. Storar :1879: George Dover :1881: Launcelot Trotter :1897: John Wilkinson Taylor :1923: W. S. Hall : :1983:

:1992:

References

Mining in County Durham Mining trade unions National Union of Mineworkers (Great Britain) Trade unions established in 1879 Trade unions based in County Durham

General Secretaries

Further reading

References