The National Society of Metal Mechanics (NSMM) 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 ( ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

which existed between 1872 and 1985.

History

The organisation was founded in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

in 1872 as the Amalgamated Brassworkers Society. Led for many years by William John Davis, it was soon renamed the National Society of Amalgamated Brassworkers. In 1919, members rejected a proposal to join the

Amalgamated Society of Engineers The Amalgamated Society of Engineers (ASE) was a major British trade union, representing factory workers and mechanics. History The history of the union can be traced back to the formation of the Journeymen Steam Engine, Machine Makers' and M ...

, and instead chose to expand the union's remit, renaming the body as the National Society of Brass and Metal Mechanics.John B. Smethurst and Peter Carter, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions, Volume 6'', p.229 By 1920, it had 37,363 members, but it suffered during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, and this figure fell to 15,000 by 1937.G. D. Miller, "Trade Unionism in the Engineering Industry", in: ''British Trade Unionism To-Day'', p.362 In 1985, the union merged with the

Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section The Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section (TASS) was a British trade union. History The union was founded in 1913 by 200 draughtsmen, as the Association of Engineering and Shipbuilding Draughtsmen (AESD). It expanded rapidly, and ...

; at this point, its membership was 27,000.

General Secretaries

:1872: William John Davis :1883: :1888: William John Davis :1921: Arthur H. Gibbard :1940s: Arthur Penny :1955: V. M. Robus :1962: Frank Briggs :1975: J. H. Wood :1981: Charles P. McCarthy

References

{{reflist

External links

Catalogue of the NSMM archives
held at the

Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick The Modern Records Centre (MRC) is the specialist archive service of the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, located adjacent to the Central Campus Library. It was established in October 1973 and holds the world's largest archive collecti ...

Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom Metal trade unions 1872 establishments in the United Kingdom Trade unions established in 1872 Trade unions disestablished in 1985 Trade unions based in the West Midlands (county)