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The National Amalgamated Stevedores and Dockers Union
The union was founded in 1871 as the Labour Protection League, in response to the East and West India Dock Company attempting to cut dockers pay by 25%.
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amalgamation but a large number of members didn’t agree with the amalgamation and left the union to join the Amalgamated Stevedores' Labour Protection League. Because of this the League was renamed the National Amalgamated Stevedores, Lightermen, Watermen and Dockers.
In August and September 1954 over 2000 Hull dockworkers quit the Transport and General Workers Union as they felt that the union did not support them in their dispute, and joined the National Amalgamated Stevedores and Dockers Union.
Within a few years, the union's executive decided to change its name to the Amalgamated Stevedores' Labour Protection League, and this prompted the corn porters to leave the union.
In 1927 the watermen, lightermen and bargemen left the union and formed their own Watermen, Lightermen, Tugmen and Bargemen's Union the stevedores union becoming the National Amalgamated Stevedores and Dockers Union (NASD) with members in London and Rochester.
Over the next nine months dockers in Manchester, Liverpool and Birkenhead left the TGWU and joined the NASD.
The union took part in the discussions to form the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) in 1922, but its members voted against joining the amalgamation.
The Amalgamated Society of Watermen, Lightermen and Bargemen joined the TGWU
The TUC ruled that the NASD should return all its members in the Northern ports to the TGWU. The NASD refused to abandon its Northern members and was expelled from the TUC in 1959.
On Monday May 28, 1955 the union began an official strike for recognition that lasted six weeks but still did not gain recognition.
After the strike the NASD expelled a number of the NASD lay officers in the Northern ports for ‘bringing the union in to disrepute’.
The officers took the NASD to court and won their reinstatement. The NASD never gained recognition in the northern ports.
In 1972 the union celebrated its centenary.
The election of Jack Jones as General Secretary of the TGWU led to an improvement of relations with the NASD. In 1982 NASD merged with the TGWU.
