National Union of Mineworkers Hall - geograph

The Yorkshire Miners' Association 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 ...

. It is now an integral part of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM).

History

The union was founded in 1881 with the merger of the

South Yorkshire Miners' Association The South Yorkshire Miners' Association (SYMA) was an early British trade union representing coal miners in the southern West Riding of Yorkshire and northern Derbyshire. The union was founded in 1858 at the White Bear Inn in Barnsley in respo ...

, and the West Yorkshire Miners' Association, agreed only because both organisations were weakened by unsuccessful disputes. In order to save money, it moved away from its predecessors' focus on paying benefits to members who were unable to work, and instead aimed to improve working conditions. This proved immediately successful, as the union obtained a 10% rise in wages in 1882, and membership grew to over 20,000. In 1994, the union's members were transferred to the national body, the NUM.

Trade Union Certification Officer The Trades Union Certification Officer was established in the United Kingdom by Act of Parliament in 1975. They head the Certification Office for Trade Unions and Employers' Associations. Responsibilities The Certification Officer is responsible f ...

,
Mergers decision: National Union of Mineworkers (Yorkshire Area) proposed transfer of engagements to National Union of Mineworkers (NUM)
, 19 May 1994

Officials

General secretaries

:1881: Benjamin Pickard :1904: William Parrott :1906:

John Wadsworth John Wadsworth (1850 – 10 July 1921) was a British trade unionist and Liberal or Lib-Lab politician. Born in West Melton in the West Riding of Yorkshire, Wadsworth worked as a coal miner and was elected checkweighman. He joined the Yorksh ...

:1923: Samuel Roebuck :1924: Joseph Jones :1939:

Ernest Jones Alfred Ernest Jones (1 January 1879 – 11 February 1958) was a Welsh neurologist and psychoanalyst. A lifelong friend and colleague of Sigmund Freud from their first meeting in 1908, he became his official biographer. Jones was the first En ...

:1954:

Fred Collindridge Fred Collindridge (1899–1969) was a British trade union leader. Born in Wombwell, Collindridge became a coal miner and joined the Yorkshire Miners' Association The Yorkshire Miners' Association was a British trade union. It is now an i ...

:1964:

Sid Schofield Sidney Schofield (22 March 1911 – 4 December 1992) was a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for little over a year. Born in Pontefract, Schofield was elected MP for Barnsley at the 1951 g ...

:1973: Owen Briscoe :1986: Sammy Thompson :1988: Kenneth Homer

Presidents

:1881:

Edward Cowey Edward Cowey (9 April 1839 – 16 December 1903), often known as Ned Cowey, was a British trade unionist. Cowey was born in Longbenton, Northumberland, and began working in local coal mines at the age of seven, opening and closing a trapdoor ...

:1904:

:1906: Herbert Smith :1938:

Joe Hall Joseph Hall may refer to: Sports * Joe Hall (American football) (born 1979), American football player * Joe Hall (baseball) (born 1966), American baseball player * Joe Hall (ice hockey) (1881–1919), Canadian ice hockey player * Joe B. Hall (192 ...

:1952: Alwyn Machen :1960:

Sam Bullough Sam Bullough (1909 – January 1973) was a British trade unionist. Bullough was elected as vice-president of the Yorkshire Area of the National Union of Mineworkers in 1954, and then as its president in 1960. In 1963, he was also elected as ...

:1973:

Arthur Scargill Arthur Scargill (born 11 January 1938) is a British trade unionist who was President of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) from 1982 to 2002. He is best known for leading the UK miners' strike (1984–85), a major event in the history of ...

:1982: Jack Taylor :1990: Frank Cave? :1990s:

Steve Kemp Steven F. Kemp (born August 7, 1954) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Texas Rangers. Profession ...

Vice presidents

:1881: George Cragg :1889:

:1904: Herbert Smith :1906: John Guest :1919: Edward Hough :1945:

:1954:

:1961: Jack Leigh :1978: Jack Taylor :1982: Sammy Thompson :1986: :1990s: Ken Capstick

References

{{Authority control Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom Mining trade unions National Union of Mineworkers (Great Britain) Politics of Yorkshire Mining in Yorkshire 1881 establishments in England Trade unions established in 1881 1994 disestablishments in England Trade unions based in South Yorkshire