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Back to index of Nerve 11 - Winter 2007 | Merseyside Resistance Calendar January
4th January 1889: Seamen’s strike ‘watched with interest in all the seaports of Great Britain’
Eric Taplin kindly sent us the following:
Seamen’s Strike – 1889/90. In 1887 Joseph Havelock Wilson formed the National Amalgamated Sailors and Firemen’s Union (NAUSF) in Sunderland. By the end of 1888 at least 10 branches had been established including Liverpool and Bootle. Merseyside seamen were on strike in support of a wage claim that lasted until 18 February 1889. Some successes were achieved with smaller firms but the large steamship companies resisted the claim.
February 1889. The National Union of Dock Labourers in Great Britain and Ireland (NUDL) was formed in Glasgow by nine dock workers. Shortly afterwards Edward McHugh and Richard McGhee were invited to become general secretary and president respectively. Both were well-known radicals in Scotland who had been supportive of the crofters’ agitation. They were both devoted followers of Henry George, the American land reformer. Organisers were sent to different ports and four branches were established on Merseyside during 1889. The union proved to be an immense success on Merseyside with thousands of men joining.
March 1890. Liverpool waterfront strike. Individual work groups struck work from Autumn 1889 that escalated into a major strike in March 1890 that lasted three weeks involving dock workers, coalheavers, dock foremen, fruit porters and flatmen over conditions of work. Although played down by McHugh who was against strike action given the fragile state of the union the real issue was that union men were not prepared to work alongside non-union men. The shipping employers strongly resisted this attempt to weaken their authority and the strike finally collapsed with only minor concessions secured.
1922. Amalgamation. In 1920 a conference was held involving 13 waterside unions and agreement secured for the creation of a union embracing all waterside unions. The Transport and General Workers’ Union (TGWU) was formally created on 1 January 1922. The driving force from ,the outset was Ernest Bevin who secured approval for including inland transport workers in the new union. After two ballots of members the NUDL finally joined the TGWU on 1 April 1922.
June 1889, Liverpool Seamen’s Strike. A national strike of seamen started on 3 June 1889 involving most ports in Scotland and northern England. In Liverpool the strike lasted until 12 July when the men finally capitulated. They had demanded increased wage levels and the employment of union seamen only but the employers robustly and successfully resisted the union’s demands.
June 1905. T & J Harrisons, a major shipping firm at the south end of the Liverpool docks recognised the NUDL, employing union men only. 35 foremen were also union members but seven had allowed their membership to lapse and on 27 June about 800 dockers struck work demanding the foremen rejoin the union or be discharged. Harrison immediately repudiated union recognition. James Sexton, general secretary of the NUDL, and James Larkin (who had been a foreman at Harrisons) sought to resolve the dispute but the union was forced to concede defeat.
For further information see E.L.Taplin, Liverpool Dockers and Seamen, 1870-1890 (Hull University Press, 1974) and Eric Taplin , The Dockers’ Union. A Study of the National Union of Dock Labourers, 1889-1922 (Leicester University Press, 1985).