North Wales Miners' Association
The North Wales Miners' Association was a trade union representing coal miners in Wales.
The union was founded in 1891 as the Denbighshire and Flintshire Miners' Federation. In 1903, it was renamed as the "North Wales Miners' Association", while in 1935 it became the North Wales and Border Counties Mineworkers' Association.[1]
Never a large organisation - the Association had only 7,500 members in 1945 -[2] its General Secretary also served as its Agent, and that post was even left vacant from 1932 until 1934; Edward Jones was appointed shortly before the Gresford disaster.[3]
The Association affiliated to the Miners' Federation of Great Britain (MFGB). In 1945, the MFGB became the National Union of Mineworkers, and the Association became its North Wales Area, with less autonomy than before.[1]
By the time of the 1984-85 strike, the region had only two pits operating. Its then Secretary, Ted McKay, opposed the strike, but the Bersham Colliery was heavily picketed by miners from other areas and did not work until November 1984.[4]
The Area was dissolved in 2011.
Secretaries
- 1891: Ioan T. Williams
- 1897: Edward Hughes
- 1925: Hugh Hughes
- 1934: Edward Jones
- Jos Ellis
- Ted McKay
- 1987:
- Les Kelly
- 2005: Rosemarie Williams
Bibliography
- Keith Gildart, North Wales Miners: A Fragile Unity, 1945-1996
- Ted McKay, Edward Hughes and the History of Coal Mining in North Wales
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "National Union of Mineworkers (North Wales Area) MSS", Archives Wales
- ↑ Arthur Ivor Marsh and Victoria Ryan, Historical Directory of Trade Unions, Vol.2, p.198
- ↑ Stanley Williamson, Gresford: The Anatomy of a Disaster, p.179
- ↑ "Former NUM officer's fears in 1984/85 miners' strike", BBC News, 5 March 2010
