The National Union of Docks, Wharves and Shipping Staffs (NUDWSS) 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 administrative staff working in shipping and related industries 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 1909 as the Port of London Staff Association, as a replacement for the recently dissolved London and India Docks Staff Association. Until 1917, it worked closely with the Port of London Authority, and appointed one of the authority's members as its honorary president.Arthur Marsh and Victoria Ryan, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions'', vol.1, p.161 In 1917, the organisation decided to register as an independent trade union for the first time, and renamed itself as the Port of London Docks and Wharves Staff Association. Charles Ammon became its secretary in 1918, and

Arthur Creech Jones Arthur Creech Jones (15 May 1891 – 23 October 1964) was a British trade union official and politician. Originally a civil servant, his imprisonment as a conscientious objector during the First World War forced him to change careers. He was el ...

was appointed as its organiser. They launched it on a national basis, renaming it as the "National Union of Docks, Wharves and Shipping Staff", and publishing the ''Quayside and Office'' journal. Membership grew to 4,381 by 1922, when it became a founding constituent 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 ...

General Secretaries

:1918: Charles Ammon :1919: Alfred Short

References

{{Transport and General Workers' Union Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom 1909 establishments in the United Kingdom Port workers' trade unions Transport and General Workers' Union amalgamations Trade unions established in 1909 Trade unions disestablished in 1922 Trade unions based in London