Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union
Encyclopedia
The Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union (AEEU) was a British
trade union
. It merged with the MSF to form Amicus
in 2001.
The history of the union can be traced back to the formation of the "Old Mechanics" of 1826, which grew into the Amalgamated Society of Engineers in 1851. Many local and regional unions joined the ASE in subsequent years and in 1920, after the acquisition of nine fresh member unions, the name of the organisation was changed to the Amalgamated Engineering Union.
The AEU continued to grow and absorb smaller unions. Its largest membership growth came during the Second World War when its all-male membership voted to admit women for the first time and 100,000 joined almost immediately. However, the AEU also lost its overseas branches in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, who became independent unions.
The AEU merged with the foundry workers union NUFW in 1967 and the draughtsmen's union DATA in 1971 to form the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers, AUEW. That merger was torn apart by political and industrial differences between the blue- and white-collar sections and the former DATA became Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section
, TASS before merging with the white-collar union ASTMS
, led by Clive Jenkins
, to form Manufacturing Science Finance, MSF.
The rest of the AUEW returned to the AEU name, absorbing the Construction Engineering Union and the small roll-turners union. The AEU became a mainstay of the moderate right in the trade union movement through the 1980s and 1990s, leading the manufacturing unions in 1989-91 in a successful push for a shorter working week, but failing to merge with a number of unions, notally the building workers union UCATT.
In 1992 the AEU finally achieved a merger with the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union
, EETPU, after a hundred years of off and on discussions. [Light and Liberty, John Lloyd, 1990]. The new union took the name Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union http://www.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/ead/259aeucol.htm
and the ideas of Robert Owen
in favour of a more moderate policy based on 'prudence', 'respectability' and steady growth. Great importance was attached to the question of finance, as substantial funds would not only provide maintenance for members involved in strike action, but also help to deter the employers from attacking the organisation. Since its members were skilled and relatively highly paid, it was possible for the ASE to charge contributions of one shilling
a week and to build up a fund of unprecedented proportions.
In 1852 and 1896, the ASE was involved in extended national lockouts
which greatly weakened the organisation.
was an Australian trade union
established in 1905. In 1921, the Society was renamed the Amalgamated Engineering Union, Australian Section. The Society was most famous for its involvement in the landmark High Court of Australia
case, Amalgamated Society of Engineers v Adelaide Steamship Co. Ltd.
, which overturned the doctrine of "implied intergovernmental immunities", significantly altering the balance of power in Australian federalism
. The Society was deregistered in February 1938, but later that year, the Amalgamated Engineering Union was formed to take its place.
AEU
AUEW Engineering Section
AEU
AEEU
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
trade union
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...
. It merged with the MSF to form Amicus
Amicus
Amicus was the United Kingdom's second-largest trade union, and the largest private sector union, formed by the merger of Manufacturing Science and Finance, the AEEU agreed in 2001, and two smaller unions, UNIFI and the GPMU...
in 2001.
The history of the union can be traced back to the formation of the "Old Mechanics" of 1826, which grew into the Amalgamated Society of Engineers in 1851. Many local and regional unions joined the ASE in subsequent years and in 1920, after the acquisition of nine fresh member unions, the name of the organisation was changed to the Amalgamated Engineering Union.
The AEU continued to grow and absorb smaller unions. Its largest membership growth came during the Second World War when its all-male membership voted to admit women for the first time and 100,000 joined almost immediately. However, the AEU also lost its overseas branches in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, who became independent unions.
The AEU merged with the foundry workers union NUFW in 1967 and the draughtsmen's union DATA in 1971 to form the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers, AUEW. That merger was torn apart by political and industrial differences between the blue- and white-collar sections and the former DATA became Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section
Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section
The Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section was a British trade union.In 1970, the Draughtsmen's and Allied Technicians' Association , Amalgamated Union of Engineering and Foundry Workers and Constructional Engineering Union amalgamated to form the Amalgamated Union of Engineering...
, TASS before merging with the white-collar union ASTMS
Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs
ASTMS - The Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs was a British trade union, created in 1969 when ASSET merged with the AScW under the leadership of joint general secretaries: Clive Jenkins of ASSET and John Dutton of the AScW.ASSET, the larger of the two...
, led by Clive Jenkins
Clive Jenkins
David Clive Jenkins was a British trade union leader. "Organising the middle classes", his stated recreation in Who's Who, sums up both his sense of humour and his achievements in the British trade union movement....
, to form Manufacturing Science Finance, MSF.
The rest of the AUEW returned to the AEU name, absorbing the Construction Engineering Union and the small roll-turners union. The AEU became a mainstay of the moderate right in the trade union movement through the 1980s and 1990s, leading the manufacturing unions in 1989-91 in a successful push for a shorter working week, but failing to merge with a number of unions, notally the building workers union UCATT.
In 1992 the AEU finally achieved a merger with the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union
Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union
The Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union, known as the EETPU was a British trade union formed in 1968 as a union for electricians.-History:...
, EETPU, after a hundred years of off and on discussions. [Light and Liberty, John Lloyd, 1990]. The new union took the name Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union http://www.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/ead/259aeucol.htm
Amalgamated Society of Engineers
The original ASE was one of the 'New Model Unions' of the 1850s-1870s. These unions, which also included the Ironfounders, Builders, and Carpenters' societies, rejected ChartismChartism
Chartism was a movement for political and social reform in the United Kingdom during the mid-19th century, between 1838 and 1859. It takes its name from the People's Charter of 1838. Chartism was possibly the first mass working class labour movement in the world...
and the ideas of Robert Owen
Robert Owen
Robert Owen was a Welsh social reformer and one of the founders of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement.Owen's philosophy was based on three intellectual pillars:...
in favour of a more moderate policy based on 'prudence', 'respectability' and steady growth. Great importance was attached to the question of finance, as substantial funds would not only provide maintenance for members involved in strike action, but also help to deter the employers from attacking the organisation. Since its members were skilled and relatively highly paid, it was possible for the ASE to charge contributions of one shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
a week and to build up a fund of unprecedented proportions.
In 1852 and 1896, the ASE was involved in extended national lockouts
Lockout (industry)
A lockout is a work stoppage in which an employer prevents employees from working. This is different from a strike, in which employees refuse to work.- Causes :...
which greatly weakened the organisation.
Australia
The Amalgamated Society of Engineers (Australia)Amalgamated Society of Engineers (Australia)
The Amalgamated Society of Engineers was an Australian trade union established in 1905. In 1921, the Society was renamed the Amalgamated Engineering Union, Australian Section. The Society was most famous for its involvement in the landmark High Court of Australia case, Amalgamated Society of...
was an Australian trade union
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...
established in 1905. In 1921, the Society was renamed the Amalgamated Engineering Union, Australian Section. The Society was most famous for its involvement in the landmark High Court of Australia
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
case, Amalgamated Society of Engineers v Adelaide Steamship Co. Ltd.
Amalgamated Society of Engineers v Adelaide Steamship Co. Ltd.
Amalgamated Society of Engineers v Adelaide Steamship Co Ltd 28 CLR 129 was a landmark Australian court case decided in the High Court of Australia on 31 August 1920...
, which overturned the doctrine of "implied intergovernmental immunities", significantly altering the balance of power in Australian federalism
Federalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
. The Society was deregistered in February 1938, but later that year, the Amalgamated Engineering Union was formed to take its place.
General Secretaries
ASE- 1851: William Allan
- 1875: John Burnett
- 1890: John Burns
- 1896: George Nicoll BarnesGeorge Nicoll BarnesGeorge Nicoll Barnes CH PC was a Scottish politician and a leader of the Labour Party.Barnes was born in Lochee, Dundee, the second of five sons of James Barnes, a skilled engineer and mill manager from Yorkshire, and his wife, Catherine Adam Langlands...
- 1909: Jenkin Jones
- 1912: Robert YoungRobert Young (Lancashire politician)Sir Robert Young was a trades unionist and Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom.Young was born in Glasgow, and attended Mossbank Industrial School in the city before taking up a career in engineering. He subsequently became one of the first students enrolled at Ruskin College, Oxford...
- 1919: Tom MannTom MannTom Mann was a noted British trade unionist. Largely self-educated, Mann became a successful organiser and a popular public speaker in the labour movement.-Early years:...
AEU
- 1921: A H Smethurst
- 1933: Fred A Smith
- 1943: Ben Gardner
- 1956: C W Hallett
- 1965: Jim Conway
AUEW Engineering Section
- 1975: John McFarlane Boyd
AEU
- 1982: Gavin Laird
AEEU
- 1992: Gavin Laird and Eric HammondEric HammondEric Albert Barrett Hammond, OBE, was general secretary of the EETPU, a British trade union, from 1984 to 1992....
- 1994: Paul Gallagher
- 1995: Ken Jackson
- 2002: Derek SimpsonDerek Simpson (trade unionist)Derek Simpson is the former Joint General Secretary of the UK's biggest private-sector trade union, Unite from 2007 until 2010. He was General Secretary of the Amicus trade union from 2002 until its merger with the Transport and General Workers' Union to form Unite in 2007.-Early life:Derek...
Presidents
- 1920: James Thomas Brownlie
- 1931: W. H. Hutchinson
- 1933: John C. Little
- 1939: Jack TannerJack Tanner (trade unionist)John Shirley Frederick Tanner , known as Jack Tanner, was a British trade unionist.Born in Whitstable, Tanner grew up in London and became a fitter and turner at the age of 14...
- 1954: Robert Openshaw
- 1956: William CarronWilliam CarronSir William Carron, Baron Carron KSG FRSA was a British trade unionist and activist, who served as President of the Amalgamated Engineering Union from 1956 until 1967.-Early life:...
- 1968: Hugh ScanlonHugh ScanlonHugh Parr Scanlon, Baron Scanlon was a British trade union leader.Scanlon was born in Melbourne, Australia to parents who had emigrated from Britain...
- 1978: Terence Duffy
- 1986: Bill Jordan
- 1996: Davey HallDavey HallDavey Hall is the former president of the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union in the UK, holding the post from 1995 to 1997.-References:...