 | |
| Predecessor | National Association of Blastfurnacemen |
|---|---|
| Merged into | National Union of General and Municipal Workers |
| Founded | 1891 |
| Dissolved | 1929 |
| Headquarters | Alva House, Moor Row |
| Location |
|
Members | 3.000 (1926) |
Key people | Thomas Gavan Duffy (Gen Sec) |
| Affiliations | Blastfurnacemen Cumberland & N Lancs Fed |
The Cumberland Iron Ore Miners' and Kindred Trades' Association was a trade union, principally representing iron ore miners in the Cumberland area of North West England.
Although there were some attempts among iron ore miners in Cumberland to form a union in the 1860s and 1870s, the first successful union was the Dalton and District United Workmen's Association, established in 1882. This affiliated to the Cumberland Miners' Association, from which Andrew Sharp frequently spoke in its support. Despite this, it was unable to successfully organise miners outside Dalton, leaving the field open for the National Association of Blastfurnacemen. The Blastfurnacemen did build up membership among iron ore miners in the area, but struggled to operate as a national union. As part of a restructure which formed the National Federation of Blastfurnacemen, in 1891 the Cumberland iron ore miners registered their own union, the West Cumberland Workmen's Association. It had about 800 members and, despite its name, was restricted to iron ore miners. [1] [2] It worked with the Cumberland Miners, the Cumberland County Colliery Enginemen's Association, local branches of the Blastfurnacemen and also some branches of the Typographical Association in the Cumberland and North Lancashire Federation. [2]
Over time, the union settled on a structure of seven branches, in Cleator Moor, Egremont, Frizington, Kirkland, Moor Row, Rowrah, and Whitehaven, and by 1907 membership had grown to 2,500. [3] In about 1894, James Flynn was appointed as general secretary of the union. By 1907, he had become frustrated with its structure, where each branch had a high degree of autonomy, and elected one member of its council for each 100 members of the branch. He proposed a reorganisation wherein each mine would become its own lodge and elected one delegate of the council. Much of the existing council opposed this change, in particular those from the large branch at Egrement, and the union voted to give Flynn notice. [3]
In place of Flynn, the union appointed Thomas Gavan Duffy as its general secretary. Gavan Duffy was a member of the Independent Labour Party who had recently been on a speaking tour of Cumberland. The union's members voted 1,644 to 108 for his appointment, but Flynn refused to recognise him, or hand over account books and the union banner. Flynn used the union's office to set up a rival National Iron Ore Miners' Association, with his supporters, this union gaining favour with mine owners by proving more flexible in negotiations. [1] [4]
Gavan Duffy initially worked from temporary offices in Moor Row, and successfully rebuilt the union. He invested some funds in the Workington Iron and Steel Company, through this mechanism gaining accurate information on the finances of the mine owners. By 1914, the union was able to open new offices in Bowthorn. At the 1918 UK general election, it sponsored Gavan Duffy as a Labour Party candidate in Whitehaven. Although he did not win on this occasion, he won the seat in 1922, holding it until the 1924 UK general election. [4]
While the union long remained a member of the National Federation of Blastfurnacemen, [3] when in 1909 the federation became the more centralised National Federation of Blastfurnacemen, Ore Miners and Kindred Trades, the union chose to remain independent. Its membership rebounded, reaching 3,000 by 1926. [2] The Blastfurnacemen continued to try to interest the union in a merger, but in 1929, against their protests, the Iron Ore Miners voted 2,005 to 216 to merge into the National Union of General and Municipal Workers. [2] [5]
The union sponsored Gavan Duffy as a Labour Party candidate in several Parliamentary elections. [6]
| Election | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 general election | Whitehaven | Thomas Gavan Duffy | 9,016 | 45.6 | 2 |
| 1922 general election | Whitehaven | Thomas Gavan Duffy | 10,935 | 45.3 | 1 |
| 1923 general election | Whitehaven | Thomas Gavan Duffy | 12,419 | 53.0 | 1 |
| 1924 general election | Whitehaven | Thomas Gavan Duffy | 11,741 | 47.2 | 2 |
In British politics, an affiliated trade union is one that is linked to the Labour Party. The party was created by the trade unions and socialist societies in 1900 as the Labour Representation Committee and the unions have retained close institutional links with it.
Cleator Moor is a town and civil parish in Cumbria, England, within the historic county of Cumberland. It had a population of 6,936 at the 2011 census.
The Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway was an English railway company which built and operated a standard gauge railway in Cumberland, England intended to open up the hematite orefield to the south-east of Whitehaven. It opened for goods traffic in 1855 and for passenger traffic in 1857.
Rowrah is a village in Cumbria, England, and spans the civil parishes of Arlecdon and Frizington and Lamplugh. The majority of Rowrah is within Arlecdon and Frizington. The parish boundaries are formed from the Windergill Beck and Colliergate Beck: as such nine properties, Rowrah Hall Farm, Rowrah Hall, Ainsdale House, Rowrah Head, four properties on Pheasants Rise and Rowrah Station technically fall within Lamplugh.
Moor Row railway station was built by the Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway. It served the village of Moor Row, Cumbria, England.
Beckermet railway station is a disused rail station located in the village of Beckermet in Cumbria.
Woodend railway station was planned by the Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway on its Sellafield to Moor Row branch, but by the time the station opened the company had been bought out by the LNWR and Furness Railway who operated the line jointly until grouping in 1923.
Cleator Moor West railway station was opened as "Cleator Moor" by the Cleator and Workington Junction Railway (C&WJR) in 1879. It served the growing industrial town of Cleator Moor, Cumbria, England.
Thomas Gavan-Duffy was an Irish trade unionist and politician. He served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Whitehaven from 1922 to 1924.
The National Union of Blastfurnacemen, Ore Miners, Coke Workers and Kindred Trades (NUB) was a trade union in England and Wales which existed between 1888 and 1985. It represented process workers in the British iron and steel industry.
The Cumberland Miners' Association was a trade union in the United Kingdom.
Joseph O'Hagan, often known as Joe O'Hagan, was a British trade union leader.
Patrick Walls was an Irish trade unionist.
Egremont railway station was built by the Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway as the first southern terminus of what would become the Moor Row to Sellafield branch. In 1878 the company was bought out by the LNWR and Furness Railway who operated the line jointly until grouping in 1923.
St Thomas Cross Platform was a railway station used by workmen's trains on the Moor Row to Sellafield line on what is now the southeastern, Cringlethwaite, edge of Egremont, Cumbria, England.
Beckermet Mines railway station was situated at Pit No.1 of the mine of the same name. It was used by workmen's trains which travelled along a branch which curved eastwards off the Moor Row to Sellafield line, primarily to handle the iron ore lifted at the site.
Distington railway station was opened jointly by the Cleator and Workington Junction Railway (C&WJR) and the LNWR and Furness Joint Railway on 1 October 1879. It was situated on the northern edge of the village of Distington, Cumbria, England, where the C&WJR's north–south main line crossed the Joint Line's east–west Gilgarran Branch.
Oatlands railway station served the village of Pica and Oatlands Colliery in the former English county of Cumberland, now part of Cumbria.
Parton Halt railway station was opened by the LNWR and FR Joint Railway in January 1915 and closed by the LMSR fourteen years later in 1929.
Thomas McKenna was a British trade unionist.