The Union of Democratic Mineworkers (UDM) was a British

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 ( ...

for

coal miners People have worked as coal miners for centuries, but they became increasingly important during the Industrial revolution when coal was burnt on a large scale to fuel stationary and locomotive engines and heat buildings. Owing to coal's strategic ro ...

based in

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

, England, established in 1985, after the 1984–85 miners' strike, when the Nottinghamshire Area of the National Union of Mineworkers was involved in a number of disputes with the National Executive Committee that led to a split from the NUM. In ballots on joining with Nottinghamshire in a new union, the South Derbyshire Area of the NUM voted in favour by 51% and the Colliery Workers and Allied Trades Association by almost 100%. The

Nottinghamshire Miners' Association The Nottinghamshire Miners' Association was a trade union representing coal miners in Nottinghamshire, England. A Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Miners' Association was founded in the 1860s, but became moribund by the 1870s, although some bran ...

initially remained within the National Union of Mineworkers with elected officers including

Roy Lynk Roy Lynk OBE (born 9 November 1932) was a leader of the Union of Democratic Mineworkers. Early life He was born in Chesterfield where his parents had married in 1932. He grew up in Sutton-in-Ashfield, attending Station Road Higher School and ...

and

Neil Greatrex Neil Greatrex (1 April 1951, Basford, Nottinghamshire, England – 9 July 2019) was an English miner, trade unionist, fraudster and president of the Union of Democratic Mineworkers (UDM). Early life He attended Greenwood Drive Junior School and M ...

, later the General Secretary of the UDM. Officials from the UDM advised ministers on how to cut miners' power – including by weakening the

National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shotfirers The National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shotfirers (NACODS) is an organisation representing former colliery deputies and under-officials in the coal industry. History NACODS was established as a national trade union in 1910. P ...

(NACODS). The UDM was widely criticised in 2004 after it was revealed that its top two officials received pay and benefits of over £150,000 each, despite membership having fallen to 1,431. In 2012, former president Neil Greatrex was found guilty of fraud from a miners' welfare fund.

References

{{Coord missing, Nottinghamshire Breakaway trade unions Mansfield Mining trade unions Mining in the United Kingdom Trade unions based in Nottinghamshire Trade unions in the United Kingdom