The Amalgamated Society of Boilermakers, Shipwrights, Blacksmiths and Structural Workers (ASB) 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 ...
. Many of its members worked in shipbuilding, in which industry it was the leading trade union, while over time it also developed strength in engineering and construction.
History
The union was founded in 1834 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 ...
as the Society of Friendly Boilermakers. It initially had fourteen members, which quickly grew and but soon established a branch in
Bolton
Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish people, Flemish weavers settled in the area i ...
, and in 1835 the Manchester branch formed a general council, which governed the whole union, led by secretary William Hughes. It quickly began a national expansion, with a branch in Bristol established in 1836, and one in London in 1839, and its first Irish branch in Belfast in 1841. Initially, these branches operated almost entirely independently, but from 1842, under new secretary John Roberts, it began introducing national controls on spending and reserves, and ran an annual delegate meeting.
In 1845, the union was renamed as the United Friendly Boiler Makers' Society. Its growth enabled it to employ Roberts on a full-time basis, and although he left the country unannounced in 1848, he was replaced by John Pennie. He kept the union independent, refusing to join the new
Amalgamated Society of Engineers
The Amalgamated Society of Engineers (ASE) was a major British trade union, representing factory workers and mechanics.
History
The history of the union can be traced back to the formation of the Journeymen Steam Engine, Machine Makers' and M ...
(ASE), and in 1852 persuaded both the Scottish Society of Boilermakers and the recently-formed, London-based Amicable and Provident Society of Journeymen Boilermakers of Great Britain to amalgamate. As many of the members of these unions, while using boilermaking techniques, were involved in building and repairing ships, the union was renamed as the United Society of Boilermakers and Iron and Steel Shipbuilders. Pennie soon decided to emigrate to the United States, and was briefly replaced by George Brogden then, after his death, by
John Allen.
In 1858, there was high unemployment in the industry, and the union ran up considerable debts, but Allen removed unemployment benefits, enabling it to survive, and then grow, membership reaching 3,453 by the end of the year. By 1864, it was able to employ full-time organisers, known as lecturers, the first being William Swan. A successful strike of members at dockyards on the Tyne, in support of higher wages, led to further recruitment. However, wages were widely cut in 1864 and 1865. Industrial action against these had mixed results, and a turn to a campaign for a Nine Hour Day ended in failure. Swan had recently recruited many union members on the Clyde, and the union's refusal to pay them strike benefit led to many leaving the union, Swan forming a rival National Association of Operative Boiler Makers and Iron and Ship Builders, although this soon petered out.
The treasurer of the union's
Bradford
Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
branch stole £25 in 1865, and the union took him to court, but despite taking the case all the way to the
Court of the Queen's Bench, it was found that union funds had no legal protection. This came as a surprise to the trade union movement, which had previously believed that its funds were covered by the Friendly Societies Act 1855. This, coupled with concerns about the rights of striking members and those who were locked-out, led it to join the
United Kingdom Alliance of Organised Trades
The UK Association of Organised Trades was founded in Sheffield in July 1866. It was an important predecessor organization to the Trades Union Congress.
The organisation was largely inspired by William Dronfield, who was elected as its secretar ...
. This confederation achieved little, but the Boilermakers retained its interest in such an organisation, and so in 1870 it joined the recently-formed
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 ...
(TUC).
Robert Knight, who became secretary of the union in 1871, soon became a leading figure in the TUC.
Under Knight's leadership, the administration of the union was greatly improved, and a nine-hour working day was finally achieved. Membership reached 9,000 by the end of the year, with a branch in
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
; branches in South Africa were later established. A recession starting in 1874 led to wage reductions, and persuaded the union to work with the ASE,
Friendly Society of Ironfounders
The Friendly Society of Iron Founders of England, Ireland and Wales (FSIF) was an early trade union representing foundry workers in the United Kingdom.
History
The union was founded in 1809 in Bolton as the Friendly Iron Moulders' Society. Unlike ...
and
Steam Engine Makers' Society
The Steam Engine Makers' Society (SEM) was an early trade union representing engineers in the United Kingdom.
The union was founded in Liverpool in 1824, and was able to meet openly in Manchester by 1826, despite the Combination Act 1825 severely ...
to plan a federation, although this produced no immediate results. However, the 1880s saw an improvement, with membership reaching 30,000 by 1883. The union began admitting holders-up into membership, and in 1890 opened new headquarters at Lifton House in Newcastle. That year, the
Federation of Engineering and Shipbuilding Trades
The Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions (CSEU), often known as the Confed is a trade union confederation in the United Kingdom.
History
The confederation was founded in December 1890 as the Federation of Engineering and Shipbuil ...
was established, with Knight as its first chair. In 1893, it achieved a national agreement on apprenticeships in boilermaking and shipyards.
Criticisms of Knight's leadership mounted during the 1890s, as he was seen as increasingly conservative, opposed to socialism and trade unions of unskilled workers. Upset by the increasing role of general and industrial unions at the TUC, he won a vote to disaffiliate in 1894, but it reaffiliated the following year. However, unhappiness about this led the union to approve a rule revision conference every five years, and a full-time executive council was instituted in 1897. During this period, the union was also involved in the ''
Allen v Flood
''Allen v Flood'' 898AC 1 is a leading case in English tort law and UK labour law on intentionally inflicted economic loss.
Facts
A trade union official told an employer his members would not work alongside the claimants. The employer was pressu ...
'' case, with damages initially awarded against Allen, the chair of its executive council after it was found that he had induced the Glengall Company not to employ two non-union members. However, on appeal in the House of Lords, the decision was reversed, it being decided that it was up to workers to decide who they were willing to work alongside.
Knight retired in 1899, and although F. A. Fox led a first ballot for his replacement, he then withdrew to become secretary of the South Wales Federation of Ship-repairers. Instead,
D. C. Cummings narrowly beat J. Connolly from Scotland. Cummings led the union into membership of the
Labour Representation Committee, and at the
1906 UK general election, it sponsored
James Conley as a candidate, and also paid half the expenses of member
John Hill John Hill may refer to:
Business
* John Henry Hill (1791–1882), American businessman, educator and missionary
* John Hill (planter) (1824–1910), Scottish-born American industrialist and planter
* John Hill (businessman) (1847–1926), Austral ...
. Neither was elected, but Hill succeeded as general secretary in 1909.
In 1952, the union renamed itself as the United Society of Boilermakers, Shipbuilders and Structural Workers, then in 1963 it merged with the
Associated Blacksmiths, Forge and Smithy Workers' Society
The Associated Blacksmiths, Forge and Smithy Workers' Society (ABFSWS) was a trade union representing metalworkers in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
History
The union was founded in 1857 in Glasgow as the Scottish United Operative Blacksmiths Pr ...
and the
Shipconstructors and Shipwrights' Association, adopting its final name.
[Amalgamated Society of Boilermakers, Shipwrights, Blacksmiths and Structural Workers 1872-1976](_blank)
Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick
The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands (county), West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded i ...
In 1977, the union agreed a merger with the
General and Municipal Workers' Union
The GMB is a general trade union in the United Kingdom which has more than 460,000 members. Its members work in nearly all industrial sectors, in retail, security, schools, distribution, the utilities, social care, the National Health Service (N ...
(GMWU), but this was voted down at its annual conference. Despite this, faced with a declining membership due to the reduction in jobs in shipbuilding, the union merged into the GMWU in 1982, which renamed itself as the
General, Municipal, Boilermakers and Allied Trades Union
The GMB is a general trade union in the United Kingdom which has more than 460,000 members. Its members work in nearly all industrial sectors, in retail, security, schools, distribution, the utilities, social care, the National Health Service (N ...
.
Election results
The union sponsored
Labour Party candidates in numerous Parliamentary elections.
General Secretaries
:1835: William Hughes
:1842: John Roberts
:1849: John Pennie
:1853: George Brogden
:1857:
John Allen
:1871:
Robert Knight
:1900:
D. C. Cummings
:1909:
John Hill John Hill may refer to:
Business
* John Henry Hill (1791–1882), American businessman, educator and missionary
* John Hill (planter) (1824–1910), Scottish-born American industrialist and planter
* John Hill (businessman) (1847–1926), Austral ...
:1936:
Mark Hodgson
:1948:
Ted Hill
:1965:
Danny McGarvey
:1967:
John Chalmers
:1980:
Jim Murray
References
{{Reflist
External links
Catalogue of the ASBSBSW 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 ...
Catalogue of the USBSSW archives held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick
1834 establishments in the United Kingdom
Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom
Metal trade unions
Trade unions established in the 1830s
Trade unions disestablished in 1982
GMB (trade union) amalgamations
Trade unions based in Tyne and Wear