The National Dock Labour Board (NDLB), which administered the National Dock Labour Scheme, was an administrative board for the operation of
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
docks.
Creation of National Dock Labour Board
In 1947,
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
introduced the "Dock Workers’ (Regulation of Employment) Scheme". The scheme was administered by the National Dock Labour Board, and by local boards, made up of equal numbers of "persons representing
dock workers in the port and of persons representing the employers of such dockworkers", the scheme was financed by a levy on the employers. Each local board was responsible for keeping a register of employers and workers, paying wages and attendance money, controlling the hiring of labour, and responsibility for discipline.
Reasons for creation
The scheme was introduced by the
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
in response to the Dock Strike of 1945. The
strike
Strike may refer to:
People
* Strike (surname)
Physical confrontation or removal
*Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm
*Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...
was a
rank-and-file protest for an increase in basic pay, and was not officially supported by the
Transport and General Workers Union
The Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU or T&G) was one of the largest general trade unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland – where it was known as the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union (ATGWU) to differentiate its ...
. The strikers were condemned as 'unpatriotic' by
Arthur Deakin
Arthur Deakin (11 November 1890 – 1 May 1955) was a prominent British trade unionist who was acting general secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union from 1940 and then general secretary from 1945 to 1955.
Background
Arthur ...
, General Secretary of the T&G. The government used troops to keep the ports open, and the strike ended after six weeks when the striking dockers accepted an assurance from the T&G leaders that they would negotiate a 'Docker's Charter' with the government.
Under the scheme, dock work was considered a "job for life", with any registered docker laid off by any of the 150 firms associated with the scheme either being guaranteed employment elsewhere or a £25,000 pay off.
Abolition of the National Dock Labour Board
The National Dock Labour Scheme was abolished in 1989 by the
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
government under
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...
. The then
Employment Secretary,
Norman Fowler
Peter Norman Fowler, Baron Fowler, (born 2 February 1938) is a British politician who served as a member of both Margaret Thatcher and John Major's ministries during the 1980s and 1990s. He held the office of Lord Speaker from 1 September 2016 ...
, told
MPs the scheme had become 'a total anachronism' that stood in the way of a modern and efficient ports industry.
Fowler offered assurances that any docker laid off as a result of the scheme being abolished would be compensated up to the value of £35,000.
Notable members
Notable members of the National Dock Labour Board included
Jack Dash
Jack O'Brien Dash (23 February 1907 – 8 June 1989) was a British communist and trade union leader, famous for his role in London dock strikes.
Born in Southwark to a family which was often in poverty, Dash grew up on Rockingham Street. ...
.
Sport and recreation
The NDLB introduced a sport and recreation programme for the workers which included a rowing club called the Argosies Rowing Club. The club achieved national success when winning the coxless pairs title at the inaugural
1972 British Rowing Championships
The 1972 National Rowing Championships was the first edition of the National Championships, held from 22 to 23 July 1972 at the National Water Sports Centre in Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham. These inaugural Championships were held at the newly op ...
.
References
External links
''Registered files relating to the administration of the business of the National Dock Labour Board (NDLB)''- nationalarchives.gov.uk
''National Dock Labour Board: Photographs 1953-1963''- nationalarchives.gov.uk
*Statistics and circulars relating to all 20 local Docks Labour Boards in ports around Britain are held a
Special Collections and Archives, Cardiff University
* Account of how the board was abolished and why it mattered to the employers and Conservative Government do so
Iain Dale: 27 Years Ago Today the Dock Labour Scheme Was Abolished - And Here's How I Helped It Happen
{{Authority control
Labor relations boards
Labour relations in the United Kingdom
British trade unions history
Government agencies established in 1947
1989 disestablishments
Water transport in the United Kingdom
1947 establishments in the United Kingdom