The National Union of Lock and Metal Workers (NULM) 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 ( ...

representing workers involved in the manufacture of metal items 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 ...

. The union was founded in 1889 in

Willenhall Willenhall is a market town situated in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands, England, with a population taken at the 2011 census of 28,480. It is situated between Wolverhampton and Walsall, historically in the county of ...

as the National Amalgamated Lock, Latch and Key Smiths' Trade Society, soon renaming itself as the National Amalgamated Lock Maker and Metal Workers' Trade Society to better reflect its membership, which peaked at 2,000 in 1900, falling back to only 180 ten years later.Arthur Marsh and Victoria Ryan, ''Historical Directory of British Trade Unions'', vol.3, pp.172-175 In 1890, the Wednesfield Spring Trap Makers' Society was established. Although it later dropped "

Wednesfield Wednesfield is a town and historic village in the City of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England, It is east-northeast of Wolverhampton city centre and about from Birmingham and is part of the West Midlands conurbation. It was historically wi ...

" from its name and sought to recruit workers in the field elsewhere, its membership remained tiny, reaching a maximum of 126 in 1900, and declining to 68 in 1910. By 1924, it was close to dissolution but survived by formally associating with the Lock and Metal Workers, which took its final name of the "National Union of Lock and Metal Workers" the following year. The Spring Trap Makers' Society remained separately registered and separately affiliated to the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national tra ...

, but its administration and leadership was combined with the Lock and Metal Workers.Jack Eaton and Colin Gill, ''The Trade Union Directory'' (1981), p.145 The NULMW participated in the Joint Industry Council for the Lock, Latch and Key Industry, and grew significantly; although never a large union, it had 7,000 members by 1984. The Spring Trap Makers' Society was moribund by the 1980s, existing only to deal with legacy matters for former workers in the industry. It was eventually dissolved in 1988. The NULMW eventually merged into 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 ...

in 2004.Gary Daniels and John McIlroy, ''Trade Unions in a Neoliberal World: British Trade Unions Under New Labour'', p.136

General Secretaries

:1911: George Bellamy :1940: Bob Gerrard :1959: John Martin :1987: Michael Bradley :1991: Ray Ward

References

{{Authority control Trade unions established in 1889 1889 establishments in the United Kingdom Trade unions disestablished in 2004 2004 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Metal trade unions Transport and General Workers' Union amalgamations Trade unions based in the West Midlands (county)

General Secretaries

Further reading

References