National Amalgamated Stevedores and Dockers

The National Amalgamated Stevedores and Dockers (NASD), sometimes referred to as the National Amalgamated Stevedores' and Dockers' Society, was a trade union in the United Kingdom.

The Amalgamated Stevedores' Labour Protection League was formed in 1872. It was involved in the negotiations which led to the formation of the Transport and General Workers' Union in 1922, but its members voted not to join the amalgamation. Instead it amalgamated with disaffected members of the Amalgamated Society of Watermen, Lightermen and Bargemen who were unhappy about that union's participation in the formation of the T&G to form the National Amalgamated Stevedores, Lightermen, Watermen and Dockers.^[1]

In 1925 the watermen and lightermen considered joining the T&G, but instead decided to form their own union, the Watermen, Lightermen, Tugmen and Bargemen's Union. When this was formed in 1927 the remaining part of the union, based entirely in London and Rochester, renamed itself the National Amalgamated Stevedores and Dockers.^[1][2] Known as the "blue union", on account of the colour of its membership cards,^[3] the NASD had a longstanding rivalry with the T&G.^[4] In 1954 and 1955, more than 16,000 dockers left the T&G and joined the NASD, principally due to a belief that the T&G leadership were acting against their interests, to aid the Labour Party, and because the NASD was willing to support strike action on working hours and conditions.^[5] The Trades Union Congress (TUC) found that the NASD had breached its policies in recruiting these members, and required it to return them, but the NASD argued that this would be unlawful, and therefore refused to comply. The NASD was expelled from the TUC in 1959, and most of the recently recruited members left, and by 1972 it was back down to 6,000 members.^[2]

The NASD finally amalgamated with the T&G in 1982.^[4]

General Secretaries

Dick Barrett

1955: C. Stebbing

c.1970: Les Newman

References

1. 1 2 Jim Phillips, The Great Alliance: Economic Recovery and the Problems of Power, 1945-1951, p.33
2. 1 2 Arthur Marsh and Victoria Ryan, Historical Directory of Trade Unions, vol.3, pp.270-271
3. ↑ Ian MacDougall, Voices from Work and Home, p.515
4. 1 2 Chris Cook, The Routledge Guide to British Political Archives: Sources Since 1945, p.399
5. ↑ Bob Pennington, "Docks: Breakaway and Unofficial Movements", International Socialism, no.2

• Arthur Ivor Marsh. Concise encyclopedia of industrial relations. Gower Press, Dec 1, 1979 pg. 316

External links

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