The National Amalgamated Union of Enginemen, Firemen, Mechanics, Motormen and Electrical Workers 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 ...
. It represented
stationary engine drivers and
cranemen in a wide variety of industries, as well as less skilled workers in the electrical industry and miscellaneous workers.
The union was founded in 1895 as the National Amalgamated Union of Enginemen, Cranemen, Hammer Drivers and Boiler Firemen of Great Britain, before changing its name to the National Amalgamated Enginemen, Cranemen, Hammer, Steam and Electric Tram Drivers and Boiler Firemen in 1901. It was affiliated to the
Federation of General Workers.
The union was the largest of its day catering for stationary engine drivers and cranemen, but it long faced competition for members from two older unions: the
Amalgamated Protective Union of Engine Drivers, Crane Drivers, Hydraulic and Boiler Attendants, based in London, and the
, based in North East England. Both of these had merged into larger general unions by 1920, leaving the National Amalgamated as the only union dedicated to workers in these trades.
Some small unions also existed, such as the National Amalgamated Enginemen's and Firemen's Association, based in Manchester, which joined the National Amalgamated Union in 1908, and the Northern Union Enginemen's Association, which joined in 1921.
The union affiliated to 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 ...
(TGWU) in 1926.
It remained a distinct section of the TGWU for many years, its general secretary also serving as national secretary of the TGWU Power Group.
In 1945, its members who worked in
collieries
Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use c ...
transferred to the new Power Group of the
National Union of Mineworkers.
[Arthur Marsh and Victoria Ryan, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions'', vol.2, p.199]
General Secretaries
:1895: G. H. Copley
:1905: George Parker
:1928: Samuel Hall
:1938:
Isaac Hayward
Sir Isaac James Hayward (17 November 1884 – 3 January 1976) was a British politician who was the longest-serving leader of the London County Council. He served from 1947 until it was abolished on the expansion of London (to form Greater Lond ...
:1946: William Tudor
See also
*
TGWU amalgamations
The Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) was created in 1922 from a merger of fourteen unions and continued to grow through a series of mergers, amalgamations and transfers of engagements. This process, which is recorded below in chronologi ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Amalgamated Union Of Enginemen, Firemen, Mechanics, Motormen And Electrical Workers
Engine operators' trade unions
Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom
Trade unions established in 1895
Trade unions disestablished in 1926
Transport and General Workers' Union amalgamations
1895 establishments in the United Kingdom
Trade unions based in South Yorkshire