National Amalgamated Union of Labour

The National Amalgamated Union of Labour (NAUL) was a general union in the United Kingdom.

The trade union was founded in 1888 as the Tyneside and District Labourers Union, and it participated in the National Labour Federation. It soon established branches outside the Tyneside area, particularly in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, so in 1894 it renamed itself the "National Amalgamated Union of Labour". By 1897, it claimed 22,397 members, making it the fourth largest union in the UK. It affiliated to the Trades Union Congress in 1912.^[1]

Following mergers with a large number of small trade unions, by 1919, the union had 148,000 members spread across the UK and was led by Joseph N. Bell. He formed the National Amalgamated Workers Union as a loose confederation with the Municipal Employees Association (MEA) and the Workers Union, but this dissolved in 1922, shortly before Bell's death. In 1924, the union merged with the National Union of General Workers and the MEA to form the National Union of General and Municipal Workers.^[1]

General Secretaries

1906: J. N. Bell

1923: Ralph Spence

References

1. 1 2 Arthur Ivor Marsh, Historical Directory of Trade Unions, p.475