The National Amalgamated Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks (NAUSAWC, often known as the Shop Assistants' Union) 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 retail workers in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in 1891 with the merger of the East London Shop Assistants' Union and the Warehouse Assistants' Union. Based in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, it was originally named the National Union of Shop Assistants, and the following year, 1893 it became the National Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks. Its membership grew rapidly, from just under 1,300 in 1893 to more than 7,500 in 1900. During this period, it relocated its headquarters to London, merged in 1898 with the United Shop Assistants Union, and adopted its final name.Arthur Ivor Marsh, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions, Volume 5'', pp.127-128 In 1910, the union had more than 21,000 members, including 3,000 women, and was the second largest union of retail workers, after the

Amalgamated Union of Co-operative Employees The Amalgamated Union of Co-operative Employees (AUCE) was a trade union representing retail and related staff of co-operative businesses in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in 1891 at a meeting in Romiley and was originally named the Ma ...

. It continued to expand, merging with the National Association of Grocers Assistants in 1920 and the Dental Assistants Union in 1921. It built up a branch in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, but this left in 1921 to merge with the

Irish Drapers' Assistants Association The Irish Distributive and Administrative Union (IDATU) was a trade union representing workers in Ireland. The union was founded in 1901 as the Irish Drapers' Assistants' Association by Michael O'Lehane. O'Lehane had been working at Cannocks in ...

, forming the

Irish Union of Distributive Workers and Clerks The Irish Distributive and Administrative Union (IDATU) was a trade union representing workers in Ireland. The union was founded in 1901 as the Irish Drapers' Assistants' Association by Michael O'Lehane. O'Lehane had been working at Cannocks in ...

.Arthur Ivor Marsh, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions, Volume 5'', pp.119-120 In 1946, the union merged with the

National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers The National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers (NUDAW) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. History The union was founded in 1921, when the Amalgamated Union of Co-operative Employees merged with the National Union of Warehouse and ...

to form the

Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw) is a trade union in the United Kingdom, consisting of around 360,000 members. Usdaw members work in a variety of occupations and industries including: shopworkers, factory and warehouse wo ...

. Notable figures associated with the union include assistant general secretary

Margaret Bondfield Margaret Grace Bondfield (17 March 1873 – 16 June 1953) was a British Labour Party politician, trade unionist and women's rights activist. She became the first female cabinet minister, and the first woman to be a privy counsellor in th ...

, and president

James Seddon James Alexander Seddon (July 13, 1815 – August 19, 1880) was an American lawyer and politician who served two terms as a Representative in the U.S. Congress, as a member of the Democratic Party. He was appointed Confederate States Secretar ...

Election results

The union sponsored Labour Party candidates in several Parliamentary elections, many of whom won election. {, class="wikitable sortable" ! Election !! Constituency !! Candidate !! Votes !! Percentage !! Position , - , rowspan=2, 1906 general election , ,

Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Ro ...

, , , , 873 , , 16.2 , , 3 , - ,

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film * Newton ( ...

, , , , 6,434 , , 52.2 , , 1 , - , 1910 Jan general election , ,

, , , , 7,256 , , 52.7 , , 1 , - , 1910 Dec general election , ,

, , , , 6,562 , , 49.5 , , 2 , - , 1922 general election , , South East Essex , , , , 11,459 , , 45.9 , , 2 , - , 1923 general election , , South East Essex , , , , 13,979 , , 53.0 , , 1 , - , 1924 general election , , South East Essex , , , , 13,820 , , 41.2 , , 2 , - , 1929 general election , ,

Sheffield Central Sheffield Central is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Paul Blomfield, a member of the Labour Party. Boundaries ;First creation 1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Sheffield wards of S ...

, , , , 19,183 , , 59.1 , , 1 , - , 1931 general election , ,

, , , , 13,212 , , 38.0 , , 2 , - , rowspan=2, 1935 general election , ,

Sedgefield Sedgefield is a market town and civil parish in County Durham, England. It had a population of 5,211 as at the 2011 census. It has the only operating racecourse in County Durham. History Roman A Roman 'ladder settlement' was discovered by C ...

, , , , 20,375 , , 52.3 , , 1 , - ,

, , , , 13,408 , , 49.2 , , 2 , - , 1945 general election , ,

, , {{sortname, John, Leslie, John Leslie (politician) , , 27,051 , , 63.8 , , 1

General secretaries

:1891: William Johnson :1894:

James Macpherson James Macpherson (Gaelic: ''Seumas MacMhuirich'' or ''Seumas Mac a' Phearsain''; 27 October 1736 – 17 February 1796) was a Scottish writer, poet, literary collector and politician, known as the "translator" of the Ossian cycle of epic poem ...

:1912:

John Turner John Napier Wyndham Turner (June 7, 1929September 19, 2020) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 17th prime minister of Canada from June to September 1984. He served as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and leader of t ...

:1924: John Leslie :1936: G. Maurice Hann

References

Trade unions established in 1891 Trade unions disestablished in 1947 Retail trade unions Trade unions based in London