National Union of Ship's Stewards
Encyclopedia
The National Union of Ship's Stewards, Cooks, Butchers and Bakers was the principal trade union
for service personnel serving aboard British
merchant ships between 1909 and 1921.
It was formed in Liverpool
in 1909 by Joe Cotter, a former Cunard
steward. Over the years which followed it developed a strong following in the liner ports of Southampton
, Glasgow
, London
, Bristol
and Hull
. In 1911 the union supported the seamen's strikes which broke out in all major British ports.
In 1921, the National Maritime Board
imposed wage reductions for marine workers with the support and assistance of the principal seamen's union, the National Sailors' and Firemen's Union
. The National Union of Ship's Stewards refused to endorse this move and instead supported attempts to resist the reductions. Much weakened by these efforts, the Stewards' Union amalgamated at the end of 1921 with the British Seafarers' Union
to form the Amalgamated Marine Workers' Union
.
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
for service personnel serving aboard British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
merchant ships between 1909 and 1921.
It was formed in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
in 1909 by Joe Cotter, a former Cunard
Cunard Line
Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
steward. Over the years which followed it developed a strong following in the liner ports of Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
. In 1911 the union supported the seamen's strikes which broke out in all major British ports.
In 1921, the National Maritime Board
National Maritime Board
The National Maritime Board was a bilateral board governing wages and working practices in the British shipping industry.It was founded in November 1917 against a backdrop of strike action amongst seafarers and was originally intended as a purely wartime measure to facilitate wage negotiations in a...
imposed wage reductions for marine workers with the support and assistance of the principal seamen's union, the National Sailors' and Firemen's Union
National Union of Seamen
The National Union of Seamen was the principal trade union of merchant seafarers in the United Kingdom from the late 1880s to 1990. In 1990, the union amalgamated with the National Union of Railwaymen to form the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers .- The National Amalgamated...
. The National Union of Ship's Stewards refused to endorse this move and instead supported attempts to resist the reductions. Much weakened by these efforts, the Stewards' Union amalgamated at the end of 1921 with the British Seafarers' Union
British Seafarers' Union
The British Seafarers' Union was a trade union which organised sailors and firemen in the British ports of Southampton and Glasgow between 1911/1912 and 1922...
to form the Amalgamated Marine Workers' Union
Amalgamated Marine Workers' Union
The Amalgamated Marine Workers' Union was a trade union of sailors, firemen and ship-board service personnel which existed in the United Kingdom between 1922 and 1926....
.
Sources/Further Reading
- Arthur Marsh & Victoria Ryan, The Seamen - a history of the National Union of Seamen, (Oxford, 1989).
- Arthur Marsh & Victoria Ryan, Historical Directory of Trade Unions:Vol 3, (Aldershot, 1987).
- Ken Coates & Tony Topham, The Making of the Labour Movement, (Nottingham, 1994) ISBN 0-85124-565-X