Shipconstructors' and Shipwrights' Association
The Shipconstructors' and Shipwrights' Association (SSA) was a trade union representing shipbuilders in the United Kingdom.
 | |
| Merged into | United Society of Boilermakers, Shipbuilders and Structural Workers |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1882 |
| Dissolved | 1963 |
| Headquarters | 8 Eldon Square, Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Location |
|
Members | 19,350 (1907)[1] |
| Affiliations | TUC, CSEU, Labour |
History edit
The union was founded in 1882 as the Associated Society of Shipwrights, by eleven local unions in Scotland and North East England. Seven further unions in Scotland and North West England quickly joined the new association. The union changed its name to the Associated Shipwrights' Society, and gradually other unions around the UK affiliated.[2]
In 1908, the union merged with the Ship Constructive Association and the Amalgamated Society of Drillers and Hole Cutters, and renamed itself as the Ship Constructive and Shipwrights' Association, later changing this to the "Shipconstructors' and Shipwrights' Association". At the beginning of 1963, it merged with the United Society of Boilermakers, Shipbuilders and Structural Workers.[2]
Election results edit
The union sponsored Labour Party candidates in several Parliamentary elections.[3]
| Election | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1906 general election | Chatham | John Hagan Jenkins | 6,692 | 62.5 | 1 |
| Dundee | Alexander Wilkie | 6,833 | 23.3 | 2 | |
| 1910 Jan general election | Chatham | John Hagan Jenkins | 6,130 | 45.3 | 2 |
| Dundee | Alexander Wilkie | 10,365 | 32.9 | 2 | |
| 1910 Dec general election | Dundee | Alexander Wilkie | 8,957 | 29.3 | 2 |
| 1918 general election | Dundee | Alexander Wilkie | 24,822 | 36.1 | 2 |
| Gillingham | William Tapp | 4,705 | 25.9 | 2 | |
| 1922 general election | Perth | William Westwood | 4,651 | 18.9 | 3[4] |
General Secretaries edit
- 1882: Alexander Wilkie
- 1928: Frank Purdy (acting)
- 1929: William Westwood
- 1945: John Willcocks
- 1948: Sydney Ombler
- 1958: Arthur Williams
References edit
- ^ Report on Trade Unions in 1905-1907. London: Board of Trade. 1909. pp. 82–101.
- ^ a b Shipconstructors and Shipwrights Association, Working Class Movement Library
- ^ Dougan, David (1975). The Shipwrights. Newcastle: Frank Graham.
- ^ "Appendix III: List of sanctioned candidates, June, 1922". Report of the Twenty-second Annual Conference of the Labour Party: 116–126. 1922.
Further reading edit
- Dougan, David The shipwrights: a history of the Shipconstructors' and Shipwrights' Association, 1882–1963. Newcastle upon Tyne: Graham, 1975. ISBN 0859830438.