The Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Labourers Union (DWRGLU), often known as the Dockers' Union, was a British

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

representing dock workers in the United Kingdom, founded in 1887 and merged into the

Transport and General Workers' Union The Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU or T&G) was one of the largest general union, general trade unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland—where it was known as the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union (ATGWU)—with 900 ...

in 1922.

History

The union was founded in 1887 as the Tea Operatives and General Labourers' Association, to organise opposition to a cut in wages for workers involved in unloading and processing tea at the East and West India Dock Company's Cutler Street warehouse. From the start, it included other supportive workers, with secretary

Ben Tillett Benjamin Tillett (11 September 1860 – 27 January 1943) was a British socialist, trade union leader and politician. He was a leader of the "new unionism" of 1889, that focused on organizing unskilled workers. He played a major role in foundin ...

working at nearby Monument Quay Warehouse. Considered part of the New Unionism movement, it grew rapidly, with 2,300 members by the end of 1888.Arthur Marsh and Victoria Ryan, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions'', vol.3, pp.280-281 The union was central to the

London dock strike of 1889 The 1889 London dock strike was an industrial dispute involving dock workers in the Port of London. It broke out on 14 August 1889, and resulted in victory for the 100,000 strikers when they won their pay claim of sixpence per hour, the so-cal ...

, many of the participants in the strike joining the union immediately after the strike. By the end of the year, it had 30,932 members, and had been renamed as the "Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Labourers' Union", reflecting the broader base of its membership. However, most dock labourers working in the docks on the south bank of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

instead joined a new rival, the

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 Labo ...

, in protest at the degree of centralisation in the Dockers' Union, and its refusal to allow branch meetings to take place in pubs. The Dockers' Union rapidly became the principal union for dockworkers in London,

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

, and other ports in the south and south-west. In

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

it attracted a large following amongst metal-workers.

Keith Laybourn Keith Laybourn (born 13 March 1946) is Diamond Jubilee Professor of the University of Huddersfield and Professor of History. He is a British historian of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century specialising in Labor history (discipline) ...

, ''A History of British Trade Unionism'' (1992) pp 72-76 The union was renamed the Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Workers' Union of Great Britain and Ireland in 1899.

Jonathan Schneer Jonathan Schneer (born August 9, 1948) is an American historian of modern Britain whose work ranges over labor, political, social, cultural, and diplomatic subjects. He is a professor emeritus at the Georgia Institute of Technology. In addition t ...

, ''Ben Tillett: portrait of a labour leader'' (1982) By this time, it had lost most of its members in London, but continued to grow as more workers joined elsewhere in the country. The union was a constituent of 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. History ...

and was keen to amalgamate with other similar unions.

Ernest Bevin Ernest Bevin (9 March 1881 – 14 April 1951) was a British statesman, trade union leader and Labour Party politician. He co-founded and served as General Secretary of the powerful Transport and General Workers' Union from 1922 to 1940 and ...

became a prominent official in the union from 1910, and he initiated the merger process which formed the

in 1922. The union published the ''Dockers' Record'' as a monthly report of its activities.

Election results

The union sponsored Labour Party candidates in two general elections, some of whom won election:

Leadership

Secretaries

:1887:

Presidents

:1887:

Harry Orbell Harry Orbell (4 November 1860 – 27 March 1914) was a British trade unionist. Born in Bethnal Green on 4 November 1860, Henry Joseph (Harry) Orbell trained as a writing desk maker, but was unable to find sufficient work, and so instead foun ...

:1889:

Tom Mann Thomas Mann (15 April 1856 – 13 March 1941) was an English trade unionist and activist. Largely self-educated, Mann became a successful organiser and a popular public speaker in the British labour movement. Early years Mann was born on 15 ...

:1901: Thomas Merrells :1902: J. Howell :1905:

James Wignall James Wignall (21 July 1856 – 10 June 1925) was a British Labour Party politician. He sat in the House of Commons for seven years from 1918 to 1925. In 1893 Wignall was appointed Secretary of the Swansea branches of the Dockers' Union and be ...

:1908: J. Howell :1911: :1913: Dan W. Milford

References

External links

Catalogue of the DWRGLU 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 collect ...

Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom Water transport in the United Kingdom Port workers' trade unions 1887 establishments in the United Kingdom Transport and General Workers' Union amalgamations Trade unions established in 1887 Trade unions disestablished in 1922 Trade unions based in London {{UK-trade-union-stub