The National Union of Blastfurnacemen, Ore Miners, Coke Workers and Kindred Trades (NUB) 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 England and Wales which existed between 1888 and 1985. It represented process workers in the British iron and steel industry.

History

Prior to the formation of the union, blastfurnacemen had been represented by the

Associated Iron and Steel Workers of Great Britain {{Short description, Union of Iron and Steel workers in Great Britain The Associated Iron and Steel Workers of Great Britain was a trade union representing people employed in iron- and steelworks in Britain. The union was founded in 1887, following ...

, but this organisation concerned itself primarily with the puddlers. In response, the

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

-based blastfurnacemen split away to form the "Cleveland Blastfurnacemen's Association" in 1878, followed in 1887 by a split in

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

. These two unions merged the following year to form the first National Association of Blastfurnacemen, which rapidly spread across the country. The union was re-founded in 1892 in

Workington Workington is a coastal town and civil parish at the mouth of the River Derwent on the west coast in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England. The town was historically in Cumberland. At the 2011 census it had a population of 25,207. Loca ...

as the National Federation of Blastfurnacemen, with membership reaching 6,773 in 1898, then continuing a slow growth. In 1904, the organisation of the union devoted itself to organising in Cleveland and South

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 ...

, while a new national federation of the same name was founded the following year, and the old union affiliated to it. In 1909, it was renamed as the National Federation of Blastfurnacemen, Ore Miners and Kindred Trades, and membership topped 25,000 by 1918. In 1921, the members of the federation united to form a single union, the "National Union of Blastfurnacemen, Ore Miners, Coke Workers and Kindred Trades". The union suffered a lengthy decline in membership, exacerbated by the closure of many foundries. By 1980, membership had fallen to less than 14,000, and it developed a close working relationship with the

Iron and Steel Trades Confederation The Iron and Steel Trades Confederation (ISTC) was a British trade union for metal-workers and allied groups, being the largest union in these fields. It was formed on 1 January 1917 as a merger of existing steel-workers' unions and it is now pa ...

(ISTC), which already organised blast furnace workers in Scotland. In 1985, the NUB merged into the ISTC.

Election results

The union sponsored a Labour Party candidate in several Parliamentary elections.

Leadership

General Secretaries

:1889: William Snow :1892:

Patrick Walls Patrick Walls (1847 – 24 October 1932) was an Irish trade unionist. Walls was born to a Catholic family in the northern part of Ireland during the worst of the Great Famine. He emigrated to Tyneside to work as a labourer, then moved to Middles ...

:1917: Thomas McKenna :1939:

Ambrose Callighan Ambrose Callighan (12 April 1883 – 15 March 1955) was a British trade unionist. Callighan was born in Jarrow, County Durham. He worked in a foundry, joining the Cleveland Blastfurnacemen's Association. He also joined the Labour Party, ...

:1948: Jack Owen :1953:

Joseph O'Hagan Joseph O'Hagan (18 March 1900 – 22 December 1978), often known as Joe O'Hagan, was a British trade union leader. Born in Workington, O'Hagan started work at the age of fourteen for the United Steel Companies,''AEU Monthly Journal'' (March ...

:1968: James Barry :1970: Hector Smith :1982: Nick Leadley

General Presidents

:1921:

Henry Nixon Henry Nixon is an Australian actor. Nixon was born at St Margaret's Hospital in the inner-Sydney suburb of Surry Hills. As a child he lived in Elanora Heights, Paddington and Wollstonecraft in Sydney with his father, Gerald Nixon, a Recordin ...

:1939:

:1939: Harry France :1948:

:1953–1959: Thomas Walsh

References

External links

Catalogue of the NUB 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 ...

{{Authority control Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom 1888 establishments in the United Kingdom Steel industry trade unions of the United Kingdom Mining trade unions Mining in the United Kingdom Trade unions established in 1888 Trade unions disestablished in 1985 Iron and Steel Trades Confederation amalgamations Trade unions based in North Yorkshire