The Liverpool and District Carters' and Motormen's Union (LDCMU) was a

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 cart drivers in the

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Wales, Welsh county of Flintshire across ...

area of England. The union was founded in 1889 as the Mersey Quay and Railway Carters' Union. It opposed the New Unionism, and tried to maintain the relatively privileged position of horsemen on the docks, as opposed to general labourers. It also tried to restrict competition, by charging a £2 entrance fee to non-local residents, while those in the Merseyside area could join for 5 shillings. Membership reached a peak of 5,083 in 1910, but thereafter began to decline, along with horse-drawn carts in general. The union was known for avoiding industrial action, although it did support the 1911 dock strike. By 1920, it accepted drivers of motor vehicles into membership, and renamed itself as the Liverpool and District Carters' and Motormen's Union. Paul Smith described the union as the "single most important trade union in road haulage

n the UK N, or n, is the fourteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages, and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

during the 1920s". In contrast to other local road haulage unions, it "developed a high degree of cohesion and job controls within its geographical jurisdiction". It did have to concede pay cuts in 1930. In 1934, it worked with 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 ...

(TGWU), Scottish Horse and Motormen's Association and United Road Transport Workers' Association to achieve a national agreement on terms and conditions, but this soon fell apart, as the other unions were unable to prevent individual employers from offering worse terms. Membership fell to only 8,400 by 1938, but it rebounded to about 11,000 by 1946. The union merged into the TGWU in 1947, becoming its 12/41 branch. This continued the LDCMU's approach of "non-political" trade unionism.

General Secretaries

:1889: William Almond :1900s: Thomas Ditchfield :1910s: Albert N. Denaro :1912: William Henry Jones MBE

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liverpool And District Carters' And Motormen's Union Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom Road transport trade unions Trade unions established in 1889 Trade unions disestablished in 1947 Transport and General Workers' Union amalgamations Trade unions based in Merseyside

General Secretaries

See also

References