National Union of Seamen
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The National Union of Seamen (NUS) was the principal
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 ( ...
of merchant seafarers 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 ...
from the late 1880s to 1990. In 1990, the union amalgamated with the
National Union of Railwaymen The National Union of Railwaymen was a trade union of railway workers in the United Kingdom. The largest railway workers' union in the country, it was influential in the national trade union movement. History The NUR was an industrial union ...
to form the
National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (commonly known as the RMT) is a British trade union covering the transport sector. Its current President is Alex Gordon and its current General Secretary is Mick Lynch. The RMT is on ...
(RMT).


National Amalgamated Sailors' and Firemen's Union (1887–1893)

The Seamen's Union was founded in
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
in 1887 as the National Amalgamated Sailors' and Firemen's Union. Its founder, J.
Havelock Wilson Joseph Havelock Wilson (16 August 1859 – 16 April 1929), commonly known as Havelock Wilson or J. Havelock Wilson, was a British trade union leader, Liberal Party politician, and campaigner for the rights of merchant seamen. Early life He ...
became its president. It quickly spread to other ports and had become genuinely national by the end of 1888. In 1888 and 1889 the union fought a number of successful strikes in
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
,
Seaham Seaham is a seaside town in County Durham, England. Located on the Durham Coast, Seaham is situated south of Sunderland and east of Durham. The town grew from the late 19th century onwards as a result of investments in its harbour and c ...
,
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
and other major ports. By 1889 it had 45 branches and a nominal membership of 80,000. But from 1890, it began to face determined resistance from shipowners, who formed an association, the
Shipping Federation {{no sources, date=August 2020 The Shipping Federation was an association of employers in the shipping industry. It was formed in 1890 in response to the London dock strike of 1889 and the successes of the National Union of Seamen The Nat ...
, to co-ordinate their strike-breaking and anti-union activity. The union fought and lost defensive actions in Hull,
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
,
Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
and other important centres in 1891–1893. These episodes depleted its funds and led to a large fall in membership. The union also became involved in a large number of expensive legal cases. Although partly due to the actions of shipowners, the difficulties experienced by the union in this period have also been attributed to its officials' taste for litigation and their inadequate handling of union finances. In 1893, the NASFU went into voluntary liquidation to avoid
bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...
.


National Sailors' and Firemen's Union (1894–1926)

Relaunched in 1894 as the National Sailors' and Firemen's Union (NSFU), having dropped the word "Amalgamated", the union continued to experience financial difficulties and low membership. From the summer of 1910 the union worked to promote a national seamen's strike to combat the Shipping Federation. This finally took place in the summer of 1911. The union's control over the movement was incomplete. In many ports rank and file strike committees and activists played a more important organisational role than the union itself, and the union's long-standing programme was over-shadowed by demands for wage increases. Nonetheless, the strike greatly increased both the funds and the membership of the union, allowing it to emerge once again as a significant force. Following the strike-wave, the union gained official recognition from many shipowners. In 1911/1912 the growth of the NSFU was checked by a breakaway movement in
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
and Glasgow which led to the formation of the rival
British Seafarers' Union The British Seafarers' Union (BSU) was a trade union which organised sailors and firemen in the British ports of Southampton and Glasgow between 1911/1912 and 1922. Although of considerable local importance, the organisation remained much s ...
.WB Jones, ''The Strike and the Split – The NSFU and BSU in Southampton, 1911–1913'' At a national level, however, the NSFU was able to maintain and increase its supremacy. Contemporaries often regarded the NSFU as a militant organisation because of the strikes in which it had involved itself in the late 1880s and in 1911. Yet from its inception the union expressed a belief in the possibility of industrial harmony, and announced itself in favour of establishing conciliation procedures. The leadership of the union was not greatly influenced by '
socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
'. Its founder and president, J. Havelock Wilson, served several terms as a
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...
MP, and the union itself did not affiliate to the Labour Party until 1919. Indeed, at the 1918 general election, it sponsored three candidates:
F. W. S. Craig Frederick Walter Scott Craig (10 December 1929 – 23 March 1989) was a Scottish psephologist and compiler of the standard reference books covering United Kingdom Parliamentary election results. He originally worked in public relations, compilin ...
, ''British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–49'', pp.97, 138, 158
Wilson was primarily sponsored by the Liberal Party, while Bell described himself as a
Coalition Labour Coalition Labour was a description used by candidates in the 1918 United Kingdom general election who identified with trade unionism and supported the outgoing coalition government, which retained power at the election. The Labour Party had lef ...
candidate. Cathery ran in the name of the union.


World War I

After the outbreak of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the union began collaborating closely with the Admiralty and shipowners in support of the war effort. From 1916, Havelock Wilson emerged as one of the most vehement supporters of the war in the labour movement, ostensibly because of
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
's conduct of the war at sea, especially the alleged targeting of non-combatant vessels. In 1917 the Union provoked controversy by refusing to convey
Arthur Henderson Arthur Henderson (13 September 1863 – 20 October 1935) was a British iron moulder and Labour politician. He was the first Labour cabinet minister, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1934 and, uniquely, served three separate terms as Leader of th ...
and
Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the first who belonged to the Labour Party, leading minority Labour governments for nine months in 1924 ...
to a conference of socialist parties in
Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
, which had been convened in the wake of the
Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...
to discuss the possibility of a peace policy. A further development in 1917 was the formation of the
National Maritime Board :''This is about the Maritime Board in the United Kingdom. For the Board in the Philippines, see National Seamen Board.'' The National Maritime Board (NMB) was a bilateral board governing wages and working practices in the British shipping industr ...
as a governing body for the merchant marine. The union's involvement in it allowed it to negotiate directly with shipowners over wages and conditions.


Interwar period

In 1922, the arrangements were extended by the establishment of the 'PC5 system', which was intended to allow the Shipping Federation and the union to exercise joint control over access to employment in the shipping industry. In 1921, the National Maritime Board imposed wage reductions, which were supported by the NSFU. The acceptance of cuts in pay provoked considerable resistance from ordinary seafarers and from the rival organisations: the
British Seafarers' Union The British Seafarers' Union (BSU) was a trade union which organised sailors and firemen in the British ports of Southampton and Glasgow between 1911/1912 and 1922. Although of considerable local importance, the organisation remained much s ...
and the
National Union of Ship's Stewards The National Union of Ship's Stewards, Cooks, Butchers and Bakers was the principal trade union for service personnel serving aboard British merchant ships between 1909 and 1921. It was formed in Liverpool in 1909 by Joe Cotter, a former Cunar ...
. Other sections of the trade union and labour movement were also strongly critical of the NSFU's detrimental collusion with employers. That was especially the
National Transport Workers' Federation The National Transport Workers' Federation (NTWF) was an association of British trade unions. It was formed in 1910 to co-ordinate the activities of various organisations catering for dockers, seamen, tramwaymen and road transport workers. Histor ...
, which helped to merge the rival organisations referred to above into a new organisation, the
Amalgamated Marine Workers' Union The Amalgamated Marine Workers' Union (AMWU) was a trade union of sailors, firemen and ship-board service personnel which existed in the United Kingdom between 1922 and 1927. It was a merger of the British Seafarers' Union and the National U ...
, intended as a viable alternative to the NSFU. Further wage reductions were made in 1923, and 1925, which again outraged members. Militant resistance to the NSFU was expressed through the Seamen's Minority Movement (founded 1924) part of the Transport Workers' Minority Movement. Criticism of the NSFU became increasingly widespread with its apparent role in the 1925 Special Restriction (Coloured Alien Seamen) Order, which is seen as the first path-breaking attempt to expel non-British-born people; its failure to observe the
general strike A general strike refers to a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large co ...
in 1926; and its support of a "non-political" Miners' Union in Nottinghamshire. In September 1928, the Union was officially expelled from the
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 ...
. However, after the death of Havelock Wilson in 1929, the NUS quickly began to pursue a more mainstream policy and became reconciled with the rest of the trade union movement. It adopted the title 'National Union of Seamen' in 1926. The term failed to recognise that women were also members; some seawomen had earlier organized in an unsuccessful Guild of Stewardesses. By 1932, the Seamen's Minority Movement was 1,000-strong (less than a hundredth of the maritime workforce). Attempts were made among SMM black activists to combat the notorious postwar racism. Race riots had occurred in seaports such as South Shields, Liverpool and Cardiff. Also, the union itself felt a duty to support its white British-born members first during times of high unemployment. Key SMM figures in the 1920s and 1930s included Barbados-born, London-based
Chris Braithwaite Chris Braithwaite, also known as Chris Jones (1885 – 9 September 1944), was a black Barbadian who was leader of the Colonial Seamen's Association in the 1930s. Life Born in Barbados, Braithwaite went to sea with the British merchant navy as ...
(Chris Jones). His connections with many antiracist initiatives including the Colonial Seamen's Organisation and the
Pan-African Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora peoples of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement ext ...
Movement widened the SMM's links and brought international attention to the NUS's failure to back the largest black and minority ethnic workforce in Britain.


Postwar growth of dissent

The NUS's almost-
closed shop A pre-entry closed shop (or simply closed shop) is a form of union security agreement under which the employer agrees to hire union members only, and employees must remain members of the union at all times to remain employed. This is different fr ...
made the union stronger. After the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
there were widespread calls for reform of the NUS. Many members felt that the union was too closely associated with the employers and that it had failed to defend its members' interests. ''Rank and File Committees'', building on the earlier Minority Movement, were established in many ports, and unofficial strikes took place in 1947, 1955 and 1960. A ''National Seamen's Reform Movement'' was established in the latter year. A degree of reform was conceded in 1962, with the decision to allow a system of workplace representation by
shop stewards A union representative, union steward, or shop steward is an employee of an organization or company who represents and defends the interests of their fellow employees as a labor union member and official. Rank-and-file members of the union hold ...
. That belatedly brought the NUS into line with the general practices of the trade union movement. More importantly, it brought greater connection to the union. Seafarers could be away from home for months or years and so "a union man" on board, not far off in the Clapham headquarters, enhanced solidarity.


Strikes

On 16 May 1966, the NUS launched its first national strike since 1911. The strike aimed to secure higher wages and to reduce the working week from 56 to 40 hours. It was widely supported by union members and caused great disruption to shipping, especially in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
,
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
and
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
. The political importance of the strike was enormous: the disruption of trade had an adverse effect on the United Kingdom's (precarious)
balance of payments In international economics, the balance of payments (also known as balance of international payments and abbreviated BOP or BoP) of a country is the difference between all money flowing into the country in a particular period of time (e.g., a ...
, provoked a run on the pound and threatened to undermine the government's attempts to keep wage increases below 3.5%. The Labour
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
,
Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from October 1964 to June 1970, and again from March 1974 to April 1976. He ...
, was strongly critical of the strike, alleging that it had been taken over by
Communists Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a so ...
to bring down his administration. On 23 May, a week after the outbreak of the strike, the Government declared a
state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...
, but emergency powers were not used. The strike finally came to an end on 1 July.


Election results

The NUS re-affiliated to the Labour Party in 1931, and sponsored unsuccessful candidates at several general elections; generally in safe Conservative seats, hoping to later sponsor a candidate in a winnable constituency. By 1960, it enjoyed a close relationship with the party and, unusually, every one of its local branches was affiliated to its
Constituency Labour Party __NOTOC__ A constituency Labour Party (CLP) is an organisation of members of the British Labour Party who live in a particular parliamentary constituency. In England and Wales, CLP boundaries coincide with those for UK parliamentary constituenc ...
. In 1970, it finally secured its first sponsored Member of Parliament,
John Prescott John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott (born 31 May 1938) is a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and as First Secretary of State from 2001 to 2007. A member of the Labour Party, he w ...
, who became a prominent national figure.


Leadership


General Secretaries

:1887:
Havelock Wilson Joseph Havelock Wilson (16 August 1859 – 16 April 1929), commonly known as Havelock Wilson or J. Havelock Wilson, was a British trade union leader, Liberal Party politician, and campaigner for the rights of merchant seamen. Early life He ...
Victor Leonard Allen, ''Power in trade unions: a study of their organization in Great Britain'', p.277 :1894:
Edmund Cathery Edmund Cathery (15 May 1852 – 14 November 1929) was a British trade unionist. Early life Born in Portsmouth, Cathery first went to sea at the age of eleven, and was soon working on ''Syria'' for P&O. He became active in the North of England S ...
:1926: William J. Davies :1927:
Edmund Cathery Edmund Cathery (15 May 1852 – 14 November 1929) was a British trade unionist. Early life Born in Portsmouth, Cathery first went to sea at the age of eleven, and was soon working on ''Syria'' for P&O. He became active in the North of England S ...
:1928: William Robert Spence :1942: Charles Jarman :1948: Tom Yates :1961:
Jim Scott Jim or Jimmy Scott may refer to: Music * Jimmy Scott (1925–2014), American jazz vocalist * Jim Scott (producer), music engineer and producer * Jim Scott (musician), acoustic guitar player and songwriter * Jimmy Scott (songwriter), British-born mu ...
:1962: Bill Hogarth :1974: Jim Slater :1986:
Sam McCluskie Sam McCluskie (11 August 1932 – 15 September 1995) was a British Labour Party politician and trade unionist. He came from Leith in Edinburgh. He followed Albert Booth as Treasurer of the Labour Party from 1984 to 1992. He was general secre ...


Presidents

:1887:
Samuel Plimsoll Samuel Plimsoll (10 February 1824 – 3 June 1898) was a British politician and social reformer, now best remembered for having devised the Plimsoll line (a line on a ship's hull indicating the maximum safe draught, and therefore the minimum fr ...
:1894:
Havelock Wilson Joseph Havelock Wilson (16 August 1859 – 16 April 1929), commonly known as Havelock Wilson or J. Havelock Wilson, was a British trade union leader, Liberal Party politician, and campaigner for the rights of merchant seamen. Early life He ...
:1929: ''Post abolished'' :1986: Jim Slater


Other prominent officials

Prominent figures who have held positions in the NUS include: * Joe Cotter *
Tom Mann Thomas Mann (15 April 1856 – 13 March 1941), was an English trade unionist and is widely recognised as a leading, pioneering figure for the early labour movement in Britain. Largely self-educated, Mann became a successful organiser and a ...
*
Manny Shinwell Emanuel Shinwell, Baron Shinwell, (18 October 1884 – 8 May 1986) was a British politician who served as a government minister under Ramsay MacDonald and Clement Attlee. A member of the Labour Party, he served as a Member of Parliament (MP) ...


See also

* Eastcote, Northamptonshire


References

* WB Jones,
The Strike and the Split – The NSFU and BSU in Southampton, 1911–1913
*Arthur Marsh & Victoria Ryan, ''The Seamen – a history of the National Union of Seamen'', (Oxford, 1989). *Arthur Marsh & Victoria Ryan, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions:Vol 3'', (Aldershot, 1987). *
Ken Coates Kenneth Sidney Coates (16 September 1930 – 27 June 2010) was a British politician and writer. He chaired the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation and edited ''The Spokesman'', the BRPF magazine launched in March 1970. He was a Labour Party Mem ...
&
Tony Topham Anthony John Topham (27 October 1929 – 2 March 2004) was a British academic and writer. He was an active trade unionist and campaigner for workers rights. Topham was born in Hull. He was educated at Beverley Grammar School, and earned a degree ...
, ''The Making of the Labour Movement'', (Nottingham, 1994)


External links


Catalogue of the NUS 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 ...

BBC – Report on 1966 seamen's strikeThe Marine Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Union of Seamen Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom Seafarers' trade unions Water transport in the United Kingdom Trade unions disestablished in 1990 1887 establishments in the United Kingdom Trade unions established in 1887