The National Amalgamated Stevedores and Dockers (NASD), sometimes referred to as the National Amalgamated Stevedores' and Dockers' Society, 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 European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

History

The union was founded in 1871 as the Labour Protection League, in response to an attempt by the East and West India Dock Company to cut the pay of dock workers by 25%. It was inspired, in part, by the North East Nine Hours League, and its founders included Patrick Hennessey and Charles Keen of the

International Workingmen's Association The International Workingmen's Association (IWA), often called the First International (1864–1876), was an international organisation which aimed at uniting a variety of different left-wing socialist, communist and anarchist groups and trad ...

. The union's first secretary was John Caulfield, but he immediately ran away with its funds. A Mr Ellwood, appointed as his replacement, was successful in leading the union through several

strike Strike may refer to: People * Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...

s, and the union grew to 30,000 members. However, Ellwood and his committee decided to spend union funds on attending the opening of the South Kensington Museum and providing themselves with a lavish dinner. At the event, Septimus Hansard (reverend of

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in the East End of London northeast of Charing Cross. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heath Road. By ...

) gave a declaration of loyalty to the

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, which he claimed was on behalf of the union, although this had not been approved. Treasurer Thomas Venner denounced these actions, and this led the union to elect a committee to lead the organisation. Keen stood against Ellwood for the post of general secretary, winning easily, with Ellwood taking only three votes. Venner was elected unopposed as the union's treasurer. In 1881, the union affiliated to a new body, co-ordinating various organisations representing

stevedore A stevedore (), also called a longshoreman, a docker or a dockworker, is a waterfront manual laborer who is involved in loading and unloading ships, trucks, trains or airplanes. After the shipping container revolution of the 1960s, the number ...

s. Keen agreed to become its secretary, and he thereafter devoted little time to the union, which existed only to organise joint action between the stevedores and corn porters, who also held membership. Within a few years, the union's executive decided to change its name to the Amalgamated Stevedores' Labour Protection League, and this prompted the corn porters to leave the union. In 1889, they founded a new

South Side Labour Protection League The South Side Labour Protection League was a trade union organising dock porters and stevedores in the United Kingdom. Until the mid-1880s, dock porters in the docks on the south side of the River Thames in London were represented by the Labou ...

, led by

Harry Quelch Henry Quelch (30 January, 1858 – 17 September, 1913) was one of the first Marxists and founders of the social democratic movement in Great Britain. He was a socialist activist, journalist and trade unionist. His brother, Lorenzo "Len" Quelc ...

. The Amalgamated Stevedores' Labour Protection League was involved in the negotiations which led to the formation of 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 ...

(T&G) in 1922, but its members voted not to join the amalgamation. Instead it amalgamated with disaffected members of the

Amalgamated Society of Watermen, Lightermen and Bargemen The Amalgamated Society of Watermen, Lightermen and Bargemen was a trade union in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in 1889 as the Amalgamated Society of Watermen and Lightermen of the River Thames. In 1901, it merged with the Watchm ...

who were unhappy about that union's participation in the formation of the T&G, renaming the union as the National Amalgamated Stevedores, Lightermen, Watermen and Dockers.Jim Phillips, ''The Great Alliance: Economic Recovery and the Problems of Power, 1945-1951'', p.33 In 1925 the watermen and lightermen considered joining the T&G, but instead decided to form their own union, the

Watermen, Lightermen, Tugmen and Bargemen's Union The Watermen, Lightermen, Tugmen and Bargemen's Union was a trade union in the United Kingdom. The union was formed in 1925 when the watermen and lightermen belonging to the National Amalgamated Stevedores, Lightermen, Watermen and Dockers deci ...

. When this was formed in 1927 the remaining part of the union, based entirely in London and

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, renamed itself as the National Amalgamated Stevedores and Dockers.Arthur Marsh and Victoria Ryan, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions'', vol.3, pp.270-271 Known as the "blue union", on account of the colour of its membership cards, the NASD had a longstanding rivalry with the T&G.Chris Cook, ''The Routledge Guide to British Political Archives: Sources Since 1945'', p.399 In 1954 and 1955, more than 16,000 dockers left the T&G and joined the NASD, principally due to a belief that the T&G leadership were acting against their interests, to aid the Labour Party, and because the NASD was willing to support strike action on working hours and conditions.Bob Pennington,
Docks: Breakaway and Unofficial Movements
, ''

International Socialism Proletarian internationalism, sometimes referred to as international socialism, is the perception of all communist revolutions as being part of a single global class struggle rather than separate localized events. It is based on the theory that ...

'', no.2 The

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in England and Wales, representing the majority of trade unions. There are 48 affiliated unions, with a total of about 5.5 million members. Frances ...

(TUC) found that the NASD had breached its policies in recruiting these members, and required it to return them, but the NASD argued that this would be unlawful, and therefore refused to comply. The NASD was expelled from the TUC in 1959, and most of the recently recruited members left, and by 1972 it was back down to 6,000 members. The NASD finally amalgamated with the T&G in 1982.

General Secretaries

:1871: John Caulfield :1871: Ellwood :1872: Charles Keen :1885:

Tom McCarthy Thomas McCarthy (also Tom and Tommy) may refer to: Academia *Thomas A. McCarthy (born 1940), American professor of philosophy *Thomas J. McCarthy (born 1956), American professor of polymer chemistry at the University of Massachusetts *J. Thomas Mc ...

:1889: :1890s:

James Anderson James Anderson may refer to: Arts *James Anderson (American actor) (1921–1969), American actor *James Anderson (author) (1936–2007), British mystery writer *James Anderson (English actor) (born 1980), British actor * James Anderson (filmmaker) ...

:1917: J. Wood :1919: J. B. Ruark :Dick Barrett :1955: C. Stebbing :c.1970: Les Newman

Footnotes

References

*Arthur Ivor Marsh. ''Concise encyclopedia of industrial relations.'' Gower Press, Dec 1, 1979 pg. 316

External links

Catalogue of the NASD archives
held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick {{Authority control Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom 1871 establishments in the United Kingdom Port workers' trade unions Trade unions established in 1871 Trade unions disestablished in 1982 Transport and General Workers' Union amalgamations Trade unions based in London