The North of England Trimmers' and Teemers Association 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 ...

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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The union was formed in 1871 and merged with the

Tyne Tyne may refer to: __NOTOC__ Geography *River Tyne, England *Port of Tyne, the commercial docks in and around the River Tyne in Tyne and Wear, England * River Tyne, Scotland *River Tyne, a tributary of the South Esk River, Tasmania, Australia Peopl ...

and Blyth association in 1902. It had 1,500 members in 1908, increasing to 1,913 in 1915. Trimmers and teemers were employed in loading coal onto ships from

staithe A wharf ( or wharfs), quay ( , also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths ( ...

s. Teemers would open the trapdoors on rail waggons which had been positioned above the ships' hoppers. The trimmers would then distribute the coal evenly around the hopper using shovels. The Trimmers and Teemers Association merged 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 ...

in 1922.

References

Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom Port workers' trade unions Trade unions established in 1871 Trade unions disestablished in 1922 Transport and General Workers' Union amalgamations Trade unions based in Tyne and Wear {{UK-trade-union-stub

See also

References