The Durham County Colliery Enginemen's 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 engine operators 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 ...

. The union was founded on 25 November 1871, at a meeting at the Half Moon Hotel in

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

. Workers at forty different collieries were present, and most had already formed lodges in preparation for the creation of the union. By January 1872, the union had 400 members, and it was able to make an agreement with mine owners, raising wages, while cutting shifts from twelve hours to eight. The union was central to the formation of the National Federation of Colliery Enginemen and Boiler Firemen, and through this was at times affiliated to 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 ...

. It also worked with 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 ...

Durham Colliery Mechanics' Association 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 em ...

and the Durham Cokemen's Association in the Durham County Mining Federation Board. By 1907, membership had reached 2,666. In 1944, when it was known as the Durham County Colliery Enginemen, Boilerminders' and Firemen's Association, it became part of Group No.1 of the National Union of Mineworkers.{{cite book , last1=Marsh , first1=Arthur , last2=Ryan , first2=Victoria , title=Historical Directory of Trade Unions , date=1984 , publisher=Gower Publishing , location=Aldershot , isbn=0566021617 , pag
199
, url=https://archive.org/details/historicaldirect0004mars/page/199

General Secretaries

:1871: John Ambler :c.1880: William H. Lambton :1905:

William Browell Charlton William Browell Charlton (1855 – 30 January 1932) was a British trade union leader. Charlton was born at Burnt House, just west of Chester-le-Street, in County Durham. He began work coupling at the flats at Edmondsley Colliery when he wa ...

:1925: George Peart

References

Engine operators' trade unions Mining in County Durham Mining trade unions National Union of Mineworkers (Great Britain) Trade unions established in 1871 Trade unions based in County Durham