National Union of Railwaymen

The National Union of Railwaymen was a trade union of railway workers in the United Kingdom. The largest railway workers' union in the country, it was influential in the national trade union movement.

History

The NUR was an industrial union founded in 1913 by the merger of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants (founded 1872), the United Pointsmen and Signalmen's Society (founded 1880) and the General Railway Workers' Union (founded 1889).Raynes, 1921, p. 165.

The NUR represented the majority of railway workers, but not white-collar workers, who were members of the Railway Clerks' Association (founded 1897, later the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association). NUR membership was open to drivers and firemen but most chose instead to be members of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (founded 1880).

In 1914 the NUR joined forces with the National Transport Workers' Federation and Mining Federation of Great Britain to form the Triple Alliance – perhaps an unfortunate name, as the same year the Triple Entente of Britain, France and Russia and the Triple Alliance of Germany, and Austria-Hungary (albeit without Italy) went to war.

In 1919 the NUR and ASLEF jointly organised the 1919 United Kingdom railway strike, which prevented a proposed wage reduction and won an eight-hour maximum working day.Raynes, 1921, p. 269. The NUR formed Federation agreements with ASLEF in 1903Raynes, 1921, p. 124. and 1982 but both were short-lived.

The NUR had 408,900 members in 1945, making it the fifth largest union in Britain. Its membership fell to 369,400 in 1956 and 227,800 in 1966.

Following the formation of British Rail, the majority of NUR members worked for the nationalised organisation. However, other members worked for London Transport, the National Freight Corporation and various smaller companies. It also recruited British Rail workers in associated industries, such as its hotels, docks and harbours, and on the Sealink ferries.

In 1990 the NUR merged with the National Union of Seamen to form the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) and ceased to exist as a separate union.

Election results The union sponsored numerous Labour Party Parliamentary candidates, many of whom won election.

Election Constituency Candidate Votes % share PositionLabour Party, Report of the Executive Committee (1918), p. 115. 1918 general election Cardiff East 5,554 28.5 3 Derby 25,145 37.8 1 Manchester Ardwick 5,670 31.8 2 Middlesbrough West 5,350 32.8 2 Newcastle-upon-Tyne East 5,195 34.7 2 Reading 8,410 29.8 2 Wakefield 5,882 33.7 2 Warrington 5,377 22.6 3 1921 by-election Dudley 10,244 50.7 1 1921 by-election Heywood and Radcliffe 13,430 41.7 1 1922 general election Bolton 20,156 15.8 4Labour Party, Report of the Twenty-second Annual Conference of the Labour Party, pp. 255–272. Note that this list is of the sanctioned candidates as of June 1922, and there were some changes between this date and the general election. Bristol East 13,759 49.7 2 Cardiff East 7,506 31.4 3 Derby 25,215 27.0 1 Dudley 8,522 39.8 2 Heywood and Radcliffe 15,334 44.6 2 Leeds South 13,210 53.7 1 Leyton East 6,300 30.9 2 Manchester Ardwick 14,031 52.3 1 Salford West 8,724 32.3 2 Wakefield 9,798 48.5 2 Wolverhampton East 3,076 12.2 3 1923 general election Derby 24,887 29.0 1 Leeds South 11,705 44.2 1 Manchester Ardwick 15,673 60.4 1 Heywood and Radcliffe 15,273 47.1 2 Rushcliffe 6,882 24.7 3 1924 general election Barkston Ash 11,894 41.4 2 Derby 27,423 25.7 1 Leeds South 12,799 46.3 1 Manchester Ardwick 15,941 54.9 1 Oldham 22,081 18.4 4 Paddington North 10,481 38.1 2 Wakefield 10,192 47.9 2 1928 by-election Ashton-under-Lyne 9,567 40.6 1 1929 general election Ashton-under-Lyne 13,170 44.4 1 Berwick-upon-Tweed 5,402 18.4 2 Bethnal Green South West 6,849 38.7 2 Clitheroe 15,592 39.5 2 Derby 39,688 30.0 1 Leeds South 18,043 52.5 1 Lonsdale 7,303 25.4 3 Manchester Ardwick 20,041 60.3 1 Oldham 32,727 25.0 2 Paddington North 13,348 39.3 2 Rossendale 14,624 36.0 1 Wakefield 13,393 48.8 1 Westbury 7,458 22.5 3 York 20,663 45.0 1 1931 by-election Ashton-under-Lyne 11,005 39.4 2 1931 by-election Manchester Ardwick 15,294 50.5 1 1931 general election Ashton-under-Lyne 11,074 37.1 2 Leeds South 14,156 40.1 2 Manchester Ardwick 15,664 42.0 2 Middlesbrough West 13,040 33.4 2 Oldham 26,631 4 Plymouth Sutton 14,073 36.7 2 Rossendale 11,135 27.5 3 Stalybridge and Hyde 14,251 28.1 2 Wakefield 11,774 42.6 2 York 16,310 35.1 2 1933 by-election Rotherham 28,767 69.1 1 1935 by-election Edinburgh West 10,462 33.9 2 1935 general election Accrington 21,203 45.6 2 Barrow-in-Furness 17,919 49.7 2 Eccles 20,055 47.3 2 Gateshead 25,804 47.3 2 Leeds South 15,223 46.0 1 Manchester Ardwick 16,364 52.9 1 Middlesbrough West 12,764 33.7 2 Norwich 22,055 17.8 4 Plymouth Sutton 15,394 41.7 2 Pontefract 19,783 53.4 1 Rotherham 29,725 67.5 1 Salford North 15,272 43.4 2 1941 by-election Pontefract unopposed N/A 1Labour Party, Report of the Annual Labour Party Conference (1945). Affiliations are those as of mid-1945; it is possible that some MPs may have had different sponsors at the time of their election. 1944 by-election Sheffield Attercliffe unopposed N/A 1 1945 general election Acton 19,950 56.1 1Labour Party, Report of the Forty-Fifth Annual Conference of the Labour Party, pp. 232–248. Eccles 23,008 51.1 1 Exeter 15,245 40.2 2 Manchester Ardwick 14,360 64.0 1 Newcastle upon Tyne West 28,149 58.5 1 Pontefract 24,690 60.6 1 Rotherham 35,654 74.2 1 Salford North 18,327 60.5 1 Sheffield Attercliffe 23,468 81.4 1 South Derbyshire 47,586 57.7 1 The Hartlepools 16,502 41.2 1 The Wrekin 22,453 56.3 1 West Stirlingshire 16,066 54.4 1 1948 by-election Glasgow Camlachie 10,690 42.1 2 1950 general election Acton 21,751 49.1 1 Birmingham Perry Barr 23,178 56.6 1 Eccles 27,409 50.7 1 Manchester Wythenshawe 17,191 37.2 2 Newcastle upon Tyne West 31,230 58.2 1 Nottingham East 20,404 46.5 1 Sheffield Attercliffe 30,726 71.6 1 South East Derbyshire 30,039 49.1 1 The Hartlepools 25,609 50.6 1 The Wrekin 19,730 53.7 1 Westbury 15,766 35.6 2 West Stirlingshire 19,930 55.6 1 1951 general election Acton 23,287 52.2 1 Birmingham Perry Barr 23,322 58.1 1 Eccles 27,941 52.5 1 Haltemprice 19,584 41.9 2 Newcastle upon Tyne West 31,765 57.9 1 Nottingham East 20,865 47.8 1 Sheffield Attercliffe 29,958 71.1 1 South East Derbyshire 33,020 52.7 1 The Hartlepools 27,147 52.6 1 The Wrekin 20,109 52.4 1 Westbury 17,623 39.2 2 1954 by-election Haltemprice 9,974 38.2 2 1955 general election Acton 20,645 50.6 1Labour Party, Report of the Fifty-Fourth Annual Conference of the Labour Party, pp. 255–275. Birmingham Perry Barr 18,732 51.0 1 Eccles 25,351 52.4 1 Newcastle upon Tyne West 25,401 55.7 1 Nottingham North 26,552 55.4 1 Sheffield Attercliffe 33,071 71.0 1 South East Derbyshire 25,620 51.6 1 South Northamptonshire 17,339 44.7 2 The Hartlepools 25,145 51.6 1 The Wrekin 18,541 49.4 2 Westbury 16,295 37.8 2 1958 by-election St Helens 26,405 64.7 1 1959 general election Acton 18,438 48.8 2Labour Party, Report of the Fifty-Eighth Annual Conference of the Labour Party, pp. 179–201. Birmingham Perry Barr 16,811 42.6 1 Darlington 19,901 39.7 2 Eccles 25,566 52.0 1 Newcastle upon Tyne West 28,956 54.8 1 St Helens 35,961 62.1 1 Sheffield Attercliffe 33,676 68.8 1 South East Derbyshire 25,362 45.5 2 The Hartlepools 25,281 49.8 2 1964 general election Birmingham Perry Barr 18,156 49.5 2Labour Party, Report of the Sixty-Third Annual Conference of the Labour Party, pp. 158–180. Carlisle 19,169 45.6 1 Glasgow Springburn 16,828 65.3 1 Newcastle upon Tyne West 29,603 58.3 1 St Helens 34,137 67.0 1 Sheffield Attercliffe 30,318 66.8 1 Sunderland South 25,900 51.6 1 1966 general election Carlton 24,589 39.2 2Labour Party, Report of the Sixty-Fifth Annual Conference of the Labour Party, pp. 308–330. Carlisle 22,565 56.1 1 Glasgow Central 11,673 74.8 1 Glasgow Springburn 15,998 67.8 1 Nottingham South 24,580 50.3 1 St Helens 33,325 70.8 1 Sheffield Attercliffe 32,336 77.3 1 Sunderland South 27,567 57.5 1 1970 general election Carlisle 21,866 53.2 1Labour Party, Report of the Sixty-Ninth Annual Conference of the Labour Party, pp. 289–312. Glasgow Central 7,936 66.0 1 Glasgow Springburn 14,968 64.3 1 Nottingham South 23,031 46.3 2 St Helens 31,587 65.7 1 Sunderland South 26,840 56.4 1 Feb 1974 general election Carlisle 23,119 55.2 1Labour Party, Report of the Seventy-Third Annual Conference of the Labour Party, pp. 371–390. Exeter 17,686 31.2 2 Glasgow Central 9,400 58.7 1 Glasgow Springburn 18,067 53.7 1 St Helens 32,621 59.0 1 Sunderland South 28,296 49.6 1 West Bromwich East 21,895 52.8 1 Oct 1974 general election Carlisle 21,079 51.2 1Labour Party, Report of the Seventy-Third Annual Conference of the Labour Party, pp. 391–411. Glasgow Central 9,231 63.6 1 Glasgow Springburn 17,444 54.6 1 St Helens 32,620 64.1 1 Sunderland South 28,623 55.0 1 West Bromwich East 19,942 50.5 1 1976 by-election Newcastle upon Tyne Central 4,692 47.6 1 1979 general election Carlisle 21,343 49.7 1Labour Party, Report of the Seventy-Eighth Annual Conference of the Labour Party, pp. 406–431. Derby North 28,797 44.9 1 Edinburgh Central 12,191 47.9 1 Glasgow Central 8,542 72.5 1 Holborn and St Pancras South 12,026 49.3 1 Huddersfield West 16,996 40.6 2 Islington North 12,317 52.6 1 Newcastle upon Tyne Central 10,395 67.3 1 St Helens 32,489 59.6 1 Sunderland South 29,403 53.1 1 Swansea East 31,909 69.9 1 West Bromwich East 19,279 47.0 1 West Lothian 36,713 54.9 1 1983 general election Carlisle 15,618 37.5 1 Crewe and Nantwich 22,031 41.1 1 Derby North 18,797 36.8 2 Glasgow Garscadden 19,635 56.2 1 Holborn and St Pancras 20,486 47.5 1 Linlithgow 19,694 45.1 1 Livingston 14,255 37.7 1 Sunderland South 22,869 45.7 1 Swansea East 22,297 54.4 1 Tyne Bridge 21,127 56.5 1 West Bromwich East 15,894 38.1 1 Wrexham 16,120 34.3 1 1987 general election Crewe and Nantwich 25,457 44.0 1 Derby North 20,236 37.2 2 Glasgow Garscadden 18,920 64.4 1 Holborn and St Pancras 22,966 50.6 1 Linlithgow 21,869 47.4 1 Livingston 19,110 45.6 1 Swansea East 27,478 63.7 1 West Bromwich East 18,162 42.6 1 Wrexham 22,144 43.9 1

Leadership General Secretaries

1913: James Edwin Williams"General Secretaries of the National Union of Railwaymen, 1913-1990", Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick. 1916: James Henry Thomas 1931: Charlie Cramp 1933: John Marchbank 1943: John Benstead 1948: Jim Figgins 1953: Jim Campbell 1957: Sidney Greene 1975: Sidney Weighell 1983: Jimmy Knapp

Presidents 1913: Albert BellamyPhilip Sydney Bagwell, The National Union of Railwaymen, 1913-1963: A Half-century of Industrial Trade Unionism, p. 2. 1918: Charlie Cramp 1920: William James Abraham 1922: John Marchbank 1925: William Dobbie 1928: J. Gore 1931: William Dobbie 1934: Joseph Henderson 1937: Walter T. Griffiths 1939: John Potts 1942: Frederick Burrows 1945: Eddie Binks 1948: William Tindall Potter 1951: Harry Franklin 1954: Jim Stafford 1957: Tom Hollywood 1958: Charles W. Evans 1961: Bill Rathbone 1964: Frank Donlon 1967: Frank Lane 1970: George Chambers 1972: Harold McRitchie 1975: Dave Bowman 1978: Alun Rees 1982: Tom Ham 1984: George Wakenshaw 1987: Alan Foster 1990: John Cogger

See also

History of trade unions in the United Kingdom

References

Sources and further reading

Bagwell, Philip. "Transport" in Chris Wrigley, ed. A History of British industrial relations, 1875–1914 (Univ of Massachusetts Press, 1982), pp. 230–52.

External links

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