Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions

The Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions (CSEU), often known as the Confed is a trade union confederation in the United Kingdom.

History The confederation was founded in December 1890 as the Federation of Engineering and Shipbuilding Trades by small craft unions, on the initiative of Robert Knight of the United Society of Boilermakers and Iron and Steel Shipbuilders, primarily in response to the formation of a National Federation of Shipbuilders and Engineers by employers.Journal, New Zealand Department of Labour (1893), p.72 By 1895, sixteen unions were affiliated, with a total membership of 150,000.Herbert Tracey, Seventy years of trade unionism, 1868-1938, p.123 However, the prominent Amalgamated Society of Engineers (ASE) refused to join.Arthur Ivor Marsh and Victoria Ryan, Historical Directory of Trade Unions, p.16 The ASE finally joined in 1905 but, failing to persuade the other members to unite with it in a single industrial union, withdrew again in 1914.Edmund and Ruth Frow, Engineering struggles, p.32 Meanwhile, unions representing unskilled workers were initially excluded; the National Amalgamated Union of Labour was finally admitted in 1908, and the National Union of Gasworkers and General Labourers in 1910, and only after they had given assurances that they would permit the craft unions to retain a leading role in the organisation. Because it would not sign a similar agreement, the Workers' Union was never admitted.John P. Lynch, An unlikely success story: the Belfast shipbuilding industry, 1880-1935, p.37 In its early years, the Federation focussed on resolving demarcation disputes, but it soon concentrated on making national agreements for the engineering and shipbuilding industries, allowing the largest union in each trade to take the lead in negotiations.Arthur Ivor Marsh, Trade union handbook, p.84

The confederation adopted its current form and name in 1936. From 1941, the CSEU co-operated with the National Union of Foundry Workers and the Amalgamated Engineering Union in the National Engineering Joint Trades Movement, convincing these two unions to affiliate in 1944 and 1946 respectively. The confederation then represented the vast majority of unionised workers in the relevant industries.J. C. Doherty, Historical dictionary of organized labor, pp.72-73

By 1977, the CSEU had 23 affiliates and 2.4 million members, with most workers organised in the relevant sections of the Transport and General Workers Union, General and Municipal Workers Union and Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union. Members in 1979 were:Jack Eaton and Colin Gill, The Trade Union Directory (1979), pp.1-2

Amalgamated Society of Boilermakers, Shipwrights, Blacksmiths and Structural Workers Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers (all four sections held separate memberships) Associated Metalworkers' Union Association of Patternmakers and Allied Craftsmen Association of Professional, Executive, Clerical and Computer Staff Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union Furniture, Timber and Allied Trades Union General and Municipal Workers' Union National Society of Metal Mechanics National Union of Domestic Appliance and General Metal Workers National Union of Scalemakers National Union of Sheet Metal Workers, Coppersmiths, Heating and Domestic Engineers Screw, Nut, Bolt and Rivet Trade Union Transport and General Workers' Union (Power & Engineering and Automotive Trade Groups) Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians

In 1989, membership was still 22 affiliates and 2 million members but, by 2001, this had fallen to 1.2 million members, and a process of union mergers has greatly reduced the number of affiliated unions and the prominence of the organisation. All current affiliates are also members of the Trades Union Congress.

By 2017 the union had no direct members and was functioning as a federation of the Unite, GMB, Community, Prospect and UCATT trade unions. Since the merger of UCATT into Unite the number of member unions has fallen to four.

Current members Community GMB Prospect Unite the Union

General Secretaries 1890: William Mosses 1917: Frank Smith 1937: Ernest Gilbert 1942: Gavin Martin 1957: George Barratt 1970: Jack Service 1978: Alex Ferry 1994: Alan Robson 2004: John Wall 2008: Dave Gibbs 2009: Hugh Scullion 2017: Ian Waddell

Presidents From Until President Union 1897 c.1900 Robert Knight USB 1900 1912 James Millar Jack AIMS 1912 1922 John Hill USB 1923 1925 Allan Findlay UPA 1925 1933 Will Sherwood NUGMW 1933 1939 William Westwood SCSA 1939 1941 John W. Stephenson PGDEU 1941 1943 Harry N. Harrison NUGMW 1943 1945 Mark Hodgson USB 1945 1947 John Willcocks SSA 1947 1948 Mark Hodgson USB 1948 1958 Harry Brotherton NUSMW 1958 1959 Wilfred Beard UPA 1959 1960 Frank Foulkes ETU 1960 1961 Jim Matthews NUGMW 1961 1962 Harold Poole NUSMWC 1962 1963 George Doughty DATA 1963 1964 John McFarlane Boyd AEU 1964 1965 Ted Hill ASB 1965 1966 Alf Roberts NUVB 1966 1967 William Tallon AEU 1967 1968 William Carron AEF 1968 1969 Leonard Green NUSMWCH&DE 1969 1970 Percy Hanley AEF 1970 1971 Jack Youngs ASW 1971 1972 Frank Briggs NSMM 1972 1973 Jack Higham NUDAGO 1973 1974 Fred McGuffie EETPU 1974 1975 Charles Stewart FTAT 1975 1976 Les Buck NUSMWCH&DE 1976 1977 Len Edmondson AUEW 1977 1978 Marie Patterson TGWU 1978 1979 Hugh Scanlon AUEW 1979 1980 Ken Baker GMWU 1980 1981 Roy Grantham APEX 1981 1982 Gerry Eastwood APAC 1982 1983 Pat Turner GMB 1983 1984 Granville Hawley TGWU 1984 1985 Robert McCusker ASTMS 1985 1986 Tom Crispin TGWU 1986 1987 Gavin Laird AEU 1987 1988 Todd Sullivan TGWU 1988 1989 Ken Gill MSF 1989 1990 Jack Whyman AEEU 1990 1991 John Weakley AEEU 1991 1992 Charlie Kelly UCATT 1992 1993 Bill Jordan AEEU 1993 1995 1995 1997 Barbara Switzer MSF 1997 1999 Tony McCarthy NUDAGO 1999 2001 Roger Lyons MSF 2001 2003 John Rowse TGWU 2003 2005 Diana Holland TGWU 2005 2007 Doug Collins Amicus 2007 2009 John Quigley Unite 2009 2011 Keith Hazelwood GMB 2011 2019 Ian Tonks Unite 2019 2022 Tony Burke Unite 2022 Present Bob King Prospect

References

8. Angela Tuckett "The Blacksmiths' History. What Smithy Workers gave Trade Unionism" 1974 p250

External links

Catalogue of the CSEU archives, held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick