North Wales Quarrymen's Union
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The North Wales Quarrymen's Union (NWQU) 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 ...
.


History

The union was founded on 27 April 1874 at the Queen's Hotel,
Caernarfon Caernarfon (; ) is a List of place names with royal patronage in the United Kingdom, royal town, Community (Wales), community and port in Gwynedd, Wales. It has a population of 9,852 (with Caeathro). It lies along the A487 road, on the easter ...
after a month of discussions between quarrymen from Dinorwic and other supporters. Initially the union was not led by miners but radical Liberals who later became supporters of
David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. A Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, he was known for leadi ...
's
Cymru Fydd The Cymru Fydd (The Wales to Come; ) movement was founded in 1886 by some of the London and Liverpool Welsh. Some of its main leaders included David Lloyd George (later Prime Minister), J. E. Lloyd, O. M. Edwards, T. E. Ellis (leader, MP for ...
It affiliated 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 1923, but maintained a separate identity until 1960.''Annual Report of the 1960 Trades Union Congress'', p.108


Leadership


General Secretaries

:1874: William John Parry :1876: W. J. Williams :1897: J. E. Williams :1898: William H. Williams :1908: Robert Jones :1933: R. W. Williams :1946:
Robert J. Jones Robert James Jones (born 1951) is an American crop physiology scientist, serving as the 34th president of the University of Washington starting July 2025. He served as the 10th chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign from S ...
:1957: A. Owen


Presidents

:1874: Morgan Richards :1874: John Lloyd Jones :1876: William John Parry :1880: Robert Parry of Ceunant :1884: William John Parry :1890s: W. W. Jones :1903:


See also

*
List of trade unions This is a list of trade unions and union federations by country. International federations Global * Industrial Workers of the World * International Trade Union Confederation * International Workers Association * World Federation of Trade Un ...
*
Slate industry in Wales The existence of a slate industry in Wales is attested since the Roman period, when slate was used to roof the fort at Segontium, now Caernarfon. The slate industry grew slowly until the early 18th century, then rapidly during the Industria ...
*
TGWU amalgamations The Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) was created in 1922 from a merger of fourteen unions and continued to grow through a series of mergers, amalgamations and transfers of engagements. This process, which is recorded below in chronolog ...
*
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 ...


References

* Richard Merfyn Jones,
The trade union and political activities of the North Wales slate quarrymen in relation to their social and working conditions: 1870-1905
' Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom 1874 establishments in Wales Mining trade unions Quarrying in Wales Trade unions established in 1874 Trade unions disestablished in 1960 Transport and General Workers' Union amalgamations Trade unions in Wales {{UK-trade-union-stub