The National Unemployed Workers' Movement was a British organisation set up in 1921 by members of the Communist Party of Great Britain. It aimed to draw attention to the plight of

unemployed Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the refere ...

workers during the post

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

slump, the

1926 General Strike The 1926 general strike in the United Kingdom was a general strike that lasted nine days, from 4 to 12 May 1926. It was called by the General Council of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in an unsuccessful attempt to force the British governme ...

and later the Great Depression, and to fight the Means Test.

Activities

The NUWM was founded by Wal Hannington, and led in Scotland by Harry McShane. From 1921 until 1929 it was called the National Unemployed Workers' Committee Movement. The NUWM became the foremost body responsible for organising the unemployed on a national basis in the interwar period, these years being characterised by high levels of unemployment. A central element of its activities was a series of

hunger march Hunger marches are a form of social protest that arose in the United Kingdom during the early 20th century. Often the marches involved groups of men and women walking from areas with high unemployment, to London where they would protest outside pa ...

es to London, organised in 1922, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1934 and 1936. The largest of these was the

National Hunger March, 1932 The National Hunger March of September–October 1932 was the largestCook, Chris and Bewes, Diccon; ''What Happened Where: A Guide To Places And Events In Twentieth-Century History'' p. 115; Routledge, 1997 of a series of hunger marches in Britai ...

, that was followed by some days of serious violence across central London with 75 people being badly injured, which in turn led directly to the formation of the

National Council for Civil Liberties Liberty, formerly, and still formally, called the National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL), is an advocacy group and membership organisation based in the United Kingdom, which challenges unjust laws, protects civil liberties and promotes hu ...

. To the dismay of many within the wider labour movement, the Labour Party and the official trades union bodies offered little support to the legions of unemployed workers during this period. The

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in England and Wales, representing the majority of trade unions. There are 48 affiliated unions, with a total of about 5.5 million members. Frances ...

and the National Executive Council advised Labour parties and trades councils along the route of the

Jarrow Crusade The Jarrow March of 5–31 October 1936, also known as the Jarrow Crusade, was an organised protest against the unemployment and poverty suffered in the English town of Jarrow, near Newcastle upon Tyne, during the 1930s. Around 200 men (or "Crus ...

not to help the marchers, although local branches were more generous.

Industrial unionist breakaway

In 1923

Gunnar Soderberg Gunnar Soderberg (born 1896) was a Swedish labour activist. He was the founder of the Unemployed Workers' Organisation The Unemployed Workers' Organisation was an organisation of unemployed workers founded in London in 1923. It was a breakaway fr ...

led a breakaway group called the

Unemployed Workers' Organisation The Unemployed Workers' Organisation was an organisation of unemployed workers founded in London in 1923. It was a breakaway from the National Unemployed Workers' Movement (NUWM). They opposed the reformist politics and political control by the C ...

(UWO) whose views were based on the industrial unionism of the

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines general ...

. They objected to the abandonment of the revolutionary goal of abolishing the wages system in favour of work at trade union rates or maintenance at Trade Union rates. They had close links to '' Communist Workers Party'' but only gained a significant following in Poplar during the 1923 Docks Strike. It did not survive long after a physical attack on its members on 26 September 1923 in Poplar High Street by the police which left 40 members in hospital. Wal Hannington filled in for

George Lansbury George Lansbury (22 February 1859 – 7 May 1940) was a British politician and social reformer who led the Labour Party from 1932 to 1935. Apart from a brief period of ministerial office during the Labour government of 1929–31, he spe ...

at a meeting held in

Glasgow City Hall Glasgow's City Halls and Old Fruitmarket is a concert hall and former market located on Candleriggs, in the Merchant City, Glasgow, Scotland. History The City Halls are part of a market complex designed by John Carrick in 1882, but the grand ha ...

shortly afterwards. He criticised the UWO and defended the actions of the Poplar Board of Guardians, who had called in the police.

End of the NUWM

It suspended activity in 1939, at the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, and the decision to wind it up was taken in 1943. It was finally dissolved in 1946. Over the years there have been several attempts to revive the movement, one of the most recent being around 1992.

References

External links

Why Are We Marching?

Activities

Industrial unionist breakaway

End of the NUWM

References

External links

Further reading

See also