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.
History
Prior to the formation of the union, blastfurnacemen had been represented by the Associated Iron and Steel Workers of Great Britain, but this organisation concerned itself primarily with the puddlers. In response, the Cleveland-based blastfurnacemen split away to form the "Cleveland Blastfurnacemen's Association" in 1878, followed in 1887 by a split in Cumberland. These two unions merged the following year to form the first National Association of Blastfurnacemen, which rapidly spread across the country.
The union was re-founded in 1892 in Workington as the National Federation of Blastfurnacemen, with membership reaching 6,773 in 1898, then continuing a slow growth. In 1904, the organisation of the union devoted itself to organising in Cleveland and South Durham, while a new national federation of the same name was founded the following year, and the old union affiliated to it. In 1909, it was renamed as the National Federation of Blastfurnacemen, Ore Miners and Kindred Trades, and membership topped 25,000 by 1918. In 1921, the members of the federation united to form a single union, the "National Union of Blastfurnacemen, Ore Miners, Coke Workers and Kindred Trades".
The union suffered a lengthy decline in membership, exacerbated by the closure of many foundries. By 1980, membership had fallen to less than 14,000, and it developed a close working relationship with the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation (ISTC), which already organised blast furnace workers in Scotland. In 1985, the NUB merged into the ISTC.
Election results The union sponsored a Labour Party candidate in several Parliamentary elections.
Election Constituency Candidate Votes Percentage Position 1918 general election Middlesbrough 2,710 14.2 3 1922 general election Newark 8,378 35.2 2 1923 general election The Wrekin 11,657 53.2 1 1924 general election The Wrekin 11,132 44.4 2 1929 general election Gloucester 10,548 37.4 2 1955 general election Tynemouth 20,113 35.8 2 1964 general election Cleveland 28,596 44.6 1 1966 general election Cleveland 34,303 53.6 1 1970 general election Cleveland 36,213 53.8 1 Feb 1974 general election Redcar 28,252 59.8 1 Oct 1974 general election Redcar 23,204 53.9 1 1979 general election Redcar 25,470 53.7 1 1983 general election Redcar 18,348 40.6 1
Leadership General Secretaries 1889: William Snow 1892: Patrick Walls 1917: Thomas McKenna 1939: Ambrose Callighan 1948: Jack Owen 1953: Joseph O'Hagan 1968: James Barry 1970: Hector Smith 1982: Nick Leadley
General Presidents 1921: Henry Nixon 1939: Ambrose Callighan 1939: Harry France 1948: Joseph O'Hagan 1953–1959: Thomas Walsh
References
External links Catalogue of the NUB archives, held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick