South Wales Miners' Federation
Encyclopedia
The South Wales Miners' Federation (SWMF), nicknamed "The Fed", was a trade union
for miner
s in South Wales
.
The union was founded on 24 October 1898, following the defeat of the South Wales miners' strike of 1898
. It affiliated to the Miners' Federation of Great Britain (MFGB) in 1899.
In the early twentieth century, a layer of activists in the union were radicalised by such events as the Cambrian Combine Dispute and Tonypandy Riot
of 1910 and the hunger marches
during the Depression. During this period, its leadership were aligned with the Labour Party
or the Communist Party of Great Britain
, and gave support to the National Unemployed Workers Movement.
The South Wales Miners' Industrial Union, a bosses' union set up in 1926, an attempt to break the Fed, was finally disbanded in 1938. In 1940, the SWMF also started representing miners in the Forest of Dean
.
In 1945, the MFGB became the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), and the Fed became the NUM (South Wales Area), with less autonomy than before.
In 1960, the South Wales Area was expanded to include the Somerset
coalfield.
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 miner
Miner
A miner is a person whose work or business is to extract ore or minerals from the earth. Mining is one of the most dangerous trades in the world. In some countries miners lack social guarantees and in case of injury may be left to cope without assistance....
s in South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
.
The union was founded on 24 October 1898, following the defeat of the South Wales miners' strike of 1898
Welsh coal strike of 1898
The Welsh coal strike of 1898 was an industrial dispute involving the colliers of South Wales and Monmouthshire. The strike began as an attempt by the colliers to remove the sliding scale, which determined their wage based on the price of coal...
. It affiliated to the Miners' Federation of Great Britain (MFGB) in 1899.
In the early twentieth century, a layer of activists in the union were radicalised by such events as the Cambrian Combine Dispute and Tonypandy Riot
Tonypandy Riot
The Tonypandy Riots of 1910 and 1911 was a series of violent confrontations between coal miners and police that took place at various locations in and around the Rhondda mines of the Cambrian Combine, a business network of mining companies formed to regulate prices and wages in south Wales...
of 1910 and the hunger marches
Hunger marches
The Hunger marches were a series of marches held in the 1930s during The Great Depression in the United Kingdom to protest against hunger and unemployment in the United Kingdom....
during the Depression. During this period, its leadership were aligned with the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
or the Communist Party of Great Britain
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
, and gave support to the National Unemployed Workers Movement.
The South Wales Miners' Industrial Union, a bosses' union set up in 1926, an attempt to break the Fed, was finally disbanded in 1938. In 1940, the SWMF also started representing miners in the Forest of Dean
Forest of Dean
The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. The forest is a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.The...
.
In 1945, the MFGB became the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), and the Fed became the NUM (South Wales Area), with less autonomy than before.
In 1960, the South Wales Area was expanded to include the Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
coalfield.
Presidents of the SWMF
- 1898: William AbrahamWilliam Abraham (Welsh politician)William "Mabon" Abraham was a Welsh trade unionist and Labour politician, and a Member of Parliament from 1885 to 1920. Although an MP for 35 years, it was as a trade unionist that Abraham is most well known...
- 1912: William BraceWilliam BraceWilliam Brace was a Welsh trade unionist and Labour politician. Born in Risca, in the coal-mining district of Monmouthshire, he was one of six children of Thomas and Anne Brace. Brace briefly attended school before starting work at the local colliery, aged 12...
- 1915: James WinstoneJames WinstoneJames Winstone was a British trade unionistBorn in Risca, Winstone worked from the age of eight, first at a local brickworks, then at Risca United Colliery. He was elected checkweighman, and worked with William Brace to campaign against the sliding pay scale...
- 1922: Vernon HartshornVernon HartshornVernon Hartshorn was a Welsh trades unionist and Labour Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament from 1918 until his death....
- 1924: Enoch Morrell
- 1934: James GriffithsJim GriffithsJames "Jim" Griffiths CH , was a Welsh Labour politician, trade union leader and the first ever Secretary of State for Wales.-Background and education:...
- 1936: Arthur HornerArthur Horner (politician)Arthur Lewis Horner was a Welsh trade union leader and communist politician. During his periods of office as President of the South Wales Miners Federation from 1936, and as General Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers from 1946, he became one of the most prominent and influential...
- 1946: Alf Davies
- 1951: Will PaynterWill PaynterWilliam Thomas Paynter was a Welsh miners' leader involved in the hunger marches of the 1930s.Paynter was born in Cardiff, where he had a basic education before going to work at a colliery at the age of fourteen. By the age of eighteen, he was working on the coal-face, and soon joined the...
- 1959: William Whitehead
- 1966: Glyn Williams
- 1973: Emlyn Williams
- 1986: Des Dutfield
Secretaries of the SWMF
- 1898: Thomas RichardsThomas Richards (politician)Thomas Richards was a Welsh trade unionist and politician.Richards was first elected as Liberal Member of Parliament for West Monmouthshire at a by-election in 1904. In 1909, he was instructed by his trade union, to resign the Liberal whip and take the Labour whip and at both the 1910 General...
- 1931: Oliver Harris
- 1941: Evan Williams
- 1943: W. J. Saddler
- 1946: Evan Williams
- 1947: William Arthur
- 1951: W. H. Crews
- 1958: D. D. Evans
- 1963: David Francis
- 1976: George Rees