The United Order of General Labourers 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 labourers, mostly in the construction industry, 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 1878 in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, initially as a very small organisation - by 1887, it had only 64 members. However, it then grew rapidly, reaching 1,386 members in 1896, and 3,660 in 1900. Initially known as the United Order of General Labourers of London, at the end of

World War I 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 ...

, it became the United Order of General Labourers of Great Britain and Ireland.Arthur Marsh and Victoria Ryan, ''Historical Directory of British Trade Unions'', vol.3, p.129 In 1902, the union took part in a merger conference with the Navvies, Bricklayers' Labourers and General Labourers Union, the Hull and District Builders' Labourers Union, the

National Amalgamated Union of Labour The National Amalgamated Union of Labour (NAUL) was a general union in the United Kingdom. History The trade union was founded in Feb 1889 as the United Tyne and District Labourers Association and in March 1889 the Amalgamated Society of Shipyar ...

, the London Amalgamated Plumbers' Mates Society, the

United Builders' Labourers Union {{short description, Former trade union of the United Kingdom The United Builders' Labourers Union was a trade union representing labourers in the construction industry in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in London in 1889, and began recr ...

and the

National Union of Gas Workers and General Labourers The National Union of General Workers (NUGW) was an early general union in the United Kingdom, the most important general union of its era. History The union was founded in 1889 as the National Union of Gas Workers and General Labourers by Will ...

. The meetings lasted several months, but no agreement was reached, and a legacy of distrust between the unions resulted. In 1920, the union participated in a merger conference organised by the

National Federation of Building Trades Operatives The National Federation of Building Trades Operatives (NFBTO) was a trade union federation in the United Kingdom, consisting of unions with members in construction and related industries. History In 1914, a group of workers attempted to form the Bu ...

, also attended by three of its major rivals: the

National Association of Builders' Labourers The Altogether Builders' Labourers and Constructional Workers' Society was a trade union representing labourers in the construction industry in the United Kingdom. The union originated around the turn of 1889 and 1890 as the National Associati ...

, the United Builders' Labourers Union, and the

Navvies', Bricklayers' Labourers' and General Labourers' Union The Public Works and Constructional Operatives' Union was a trade union representing labourers in the United Kingdom. History The union was founded in 1889 by Andrew Hall and Arthur Humphrey in West Ham, late in 1889, Navvies, Bricklayers' Lab ...

. This was not successful, as the United Order had little interest in merging with these unions. Instead, it affiliated to the

National Transport Workers' Federation The National Transport Workers' Federation (NTWF) was an association of British trade unions. It was formed in 1910 to co-ordinate the activities of various organisations catering for dockers, seamen, tramwaymen and road transport workers. History ...

and, in 1924, it 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 1924.Arthur Ivor Marsh, Victoria Ryan. ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions, Volume 5'' Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., Jan 1, 2006 pg. 434 The union's general secretary from 1913 until 1924 was John Davenport.

References

Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom Transport and General Workers' Union amalgamations Builders' labourers' trade unions Trade unions disestablished in 1924 Trade unions based in London {{UK-trade-union-stub

See also

References