APPENDIX VI

THE STATISTICAL PROGRESS OF TRADE UNION MEMBERSHIP

It is unfortunately impossible to present any complete statistics of Trade Union membership at different periods. Until the appointment, in 1886, of John Burnett as Labour Correspondent to the Board of Trade, no attempt was made to collect any statistics of the movement; and the old Unions seldom possess a complete series of their own archives. The Friendly Society of Ironfounders, it is true, has exact figures since its establishment in 1809. No total figures can be given with any confidence.

The following tables may be useful as placing on record such comparative figures as we have been able to collect:

  1. Amalgamated Society of Engineers.
  2. Friendly Society of Ironfounders.
  3. Steam Engine Makers’ Society.
  4. Associated Ironmoulders of Scotland.
  5. United Society of Boilermakers and Iron Shipwrights.
  6. Operative Stonemasons’ Friendly Society.
  7. Operative Bricklayers’ Society.
  8. General Union of Operative Carpenters and Joiners.
  9. Typographical Association.
  10. London Society of Compositors.
  11. Bookbinders’ and Machine Rulers’ Consolidated Union.
  12. United Kingdom Society of Coachmakers.
  13. Flint Glass Makers’ Friendly Society.
  14. Amicable and Brotherly Society of Machine Printers.
  15. Machine, Engine, and Iron Grinders’ Society.
  16. Associated Blacksmiths’ Society.
  17. Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners.
  18. Associated Carpenters and Joiners.
  19. National Association of Operative Plasterers.
  20. Northumberland Miners’ Mutual Confident Association.
  21. United Journeymen Brassfounders’ Association of Great Britain and Ireland.
  22. United Operative Plumbers’ Association.
  23. Alliance Cabinet Makers’ Association.
  24. United Operative Bricklayers’ Trade, Accident, Sick, and Burial Society.

  25. Amalgamated Society of Tailors.
  26. Amalgamated Association of Operative Cotton Spinners.
  27. Glass Bottle Makers of Yorkshire United Trade Protection Society.
  28. Durham Miners’ Association.
  29. National Society of Amalgamated Brassworkers.
  30. United Pattern Makers’ Association.
  31. National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives.
  32. Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants.
  33. Yorkshire Miners’ Association.
  34. United Machine Workers’ Association.
  35. National Amalgamated Furnishing Trades Association.
  36. Railway Clerks’ Association.
  37. Amalgamated Tramway and Vehicle Workers.
  38. National Union of Dock Labourers.
  39. British Steel Smelters.
  40. National Amalgamated Union of Shop Assistants.
  41. Amalgamated Union of Co-operative Employees.
  42. National Union of Clerks.
  43. Workers’ Union.
  44. Amalgamated Musicians’ Union.
  45. National Amalgamated Union of Labour.
  46. Postmen’s Federation.
  47. Post Office Engineering Stores.

Table showing the Membership of certain Trade Unions at Successive Periods, from 1850 to 1918 inclusive.

Number of Society. Year of Estab­lish­ment. 1850. 1855. 1860. 1865. 1870. 1875. 1880. 1885. 1890. 1900. 1910. 1918.
1. 1851[740] 5,000 12,553 20,935 30,984 34,711 44,032 44,692 51,689 67,928 87,672 110,733 298,782
2. 1809 4,073 5,685 7,973 10,604 8,994 12,336 11,580 12,376 14,821 18,357 17,990 28,586
3. 1824 2,068 1,662 2,050 2,521 2,819 3,871 4,134 5,062 5,822 8,566 14,401 27,206
4. 1831 814 1,381 2,084 3,046 2,766 4,346 4,664 5,611 6,198 7,504 7,880 7,961
5. 1832 1,771 3,500 4,146 8,621 7,261 16,191 17,688 28,212 32,926 47,670 49,393 95,761
6. 1832 4,671 8,093 9,125 15,483 13,965 24,543 12,610 11,285 12,538 19,419 7,055 4,929
7. 1848 340 924 1,641 4,320 1,441 4,832 5,700 6,412 12,740 38,830 23,284 34,441
8. 1827 535 1,180 2,228 6,986 8,008 10,885 4,420 1,734 2,485 7,727 5,653 12,000
9. 1849 603 1,288 1,473 1,992 2,430 3,600 5,350 6,551 9,016 16,179 21,436 11,602
10. 1848 1,800 2,300 2,650 2,800 3,350 4,200 5,100 6,435 8,910 11,287 12,230 12,940
11. 1835 420 340 500 748 915 1,670 1,501 1,788 2,910 4,064 5,027 — [741]
12. 1834 1,567 3,040 4,086 4,599 5,801 7,251 4,989 4,560 5,367 6,536 6,854 15,118
13. 1849 500 897 1,355 1,606 1,776 2,005 1,963 1,985 2,123 2,409 916 775
14. 1841 375 452 508 530 570 650 690 740 860 963 983 228
15. 1844 200 110 330 449 280 390 258 277 304 433 703 746
24,737 43,405 61,084 95,289 95,087 140,802 125,339 144,717 184,948 277,616 284,538 551,075
16. 1857 — — 856 1,815 1,590 2,113 2,002 2,335 2,300 2,933 2,953 17,238
17. 1860 — — 618 5,670 10,178 14,917 17,764 25,781 31,495 65,012 55,785 }124,841
18. 1861 — — — 4,453 3,585 6,642 4,673 4,535 4,742 9,808 3,964
19. 1862 — — — 4,441 2,461 3,742 3,211 2,110 4,236 11,009 6,522 4,110
20. 1863 — — — 4,250 5,328 17,561 10,707 13,128 16,961 23,950 37,361 40,000
21. 1866 — — — — 1,457 1,821 1,890 2,344 2,162 — 5,241 7,500
22. 1832 ? ? ? ? 1,537 1,679 2,232 2,666 5,350 11,186 10,907 13,000
23. 1865 — — — ? 242 1,965 1,346 1,246 4,298 5,270 — —[742]
24. 1832 ? ? ? 3,850 7,350 3,282 1,975 1,725 3,428 1,655 2,950
25. 1866 — — — — 4,006 14,352 12,583 13,969 16,629 13,439 12,143 29,422
26. 1853 — ? ? ? 10,518 14,257 11,834 16,579 18,145 18,384 22,992 24,806
27. 1860 — — ? ? 792 1,120 1,061 1,522 1,899 2,840 2,450 2,800
28. 1869 — — — — 1,899 38,000 30,000 35,000 49,000 80,260 121,805 126,250
142,530 266,321 227,924 267,907 343,890 546,135 559,316 944,992
29. 1872 — — — — — 5,271 4,633 3,582 7,958 8,675 7,373 25,000
30. 1872 — — — — — 418 824 1,241 2,205 4,604 7,214 10,290
31. 1874 — — — — — 4,311 6,404 10,464 23,459 27,960 30,197 83,017
32. 1872 — — — — — 13,018 8,589 9,052 26,360 62,023 75,153 —[743]
33. 1858 — — ? ? ? 8,000 2,800 8,000 50,000 54,475 88,271 100,400
34. 1844 ? ? ? ? ? 276 279 455 2,501 3,769 4,843 23,374
297,615 251,453 300,701 456,373 707,641 772,367 1,187,073
35. 1902 — — — — — — — — — 6,248
(1902)		 6,685 47,220
36. 1897 — — — — — — — — — 1,550 9,476 66,130
37. 1889 — — — — — — — — ? 9,214 17,076 40,564
38. 1889 — — — — — — — — ? 13,388 14,253 45,000
39. 1886 — — — — — — — — ? 10,467 17,491 40,000(?)[744]
40. 1891 — — — — — — — — — 7,551 22,426 83,000
(1919)
41. 1891 — — — — — — — — — 6,733 29,886 87,134
42. 1891 — — — — — — — — — 82 3,166 35,000
43. 1898 — — — — — — — — ? 2,879 5,016 230,000
44. 1893 — — — — — — — — — 3,286 6,182 14,649
45. 1889 — — — — — — — — ? 21,111 16,017 143,931
46. 1891 — — — — — — — — — 23,180 37,892 65,078
47. 1896 — — — — — — — — — 940 3,500 14,000
106,629 189,046 911,706
814,270 961,413 2,098,779

We have suggested that it is doubtful whether, in 1842, there were as many as 100,000 enrolled and contributing members. A quarter of a century later George Howell and others could talk vaguely of a million members, but we doubt whether this number was reached until the years of good trade that followed 1871. In 1878-80 there was a great falling off, and we doubt whether the aggregate of a million was again reached until 1885. In 1892 we recorded a million and a half. Not until the end of the century were two millions attained—a number doubled by 1915, and in the last four or five years again increased by over fifty per cent.

Table showing the aggregate Trade Union Membership in groups of Industries at the end of each of the years 1892-1917 inclusive. [745]

Year. Building. Mining and Quarrying. Metal, Engineering, and Shipbuilding. Textile. Clothing. Transport. Other Trades. Total, all Unions.
1892 157,971 315,272 279,534 204,022 83,299 154,947 307,313 1,502,358
1893 172,870 318,112 266,813 205,546 80,768 142,084 293,224 1,479,417
1894 178,721 307,276 263,572 214,331 81,786 123,896 266,718 1,436,300
1895 179,283 280,065 269,169 218,805 78,560 120,475 261,479 1,407,836
1896 193,341 279,977 303,518 217,950 76,997 134,877 287,805 1,494,465
1897 215,603 283,054 319,745 218,619 75,852 183,994 317,131 1,613,998
⏞ ⏞ ⏞ ⏞ ⏞ ⏞ ⏞ ⏞ ⏞
Printing, Paper, etc. Wood-working. Other Trades.
1898 232,040 366,731 312,444 240,895 69,954 147,957 54,436 —— 264,074 1,688,531
1899 249,988 445,706 335,746 245,301 66,777 163,685 56,727 —— 284,640 1,848,570
1900 253,412 524,150 342,079 245,438 67,183 171,599 57,228 —— 294,615 1,955,704
1901 248,967 530,953 338,468 243,474 65,660 169,199 58,274 —— 311,766 1,966,761
1902 245,141 532,082 337,064 246,829 64,094 158,714 59,062 —— 310,321 1,953,307
1903 238,141 529,028 337,122 244,081 61,713 159,051 60,138 —— 301,769 1,931,043
1904 225,149 501,764 334,822 246,473 58,598 159,788 62,428 —— 306,087 1,895,109
1905 205,179 496,828 340,364 266,416 60,394 167,017 62,368 —— 321,807 1,920,373
1906 196,492 571,336 361,453 302,968 59,806 190,155 64,451 —— 367,145 2,113,806
1907 193,190 703,344 376,805 354,427 68,810 238,813 68,221 —— 403,136 2,406,746
1908 177,718 719,384 365,134 362,540 65,637 230,642 72,970 41,797 353,505 2,388,727
1909 162,278 722,639 359,838 366,445 65,882 224,037 71,531 39,240 357,177 2,369,067
1910 156,985 731,305 370,055 379,644 67,158 245,223 74,275 38,881 382,816 2,446,342
1911 173,182 752,419 415,176 436,927 74,423 513,538 77,252 45,474 530,512 3,018,903
1912 203,773 757,147 479,471 478,097 91,855 514,724 76,807 50,853 635,107 3,287,884
1913 248,647 915,734 538,541 515,684 105,929 699,952 84,414 64,442 813,772 3,987,115
1914 235,828 870,198 557,769 497,494 102,538 705,501 92,283 64,296 796,902 3,918,809
1915 228,475 857,183 633,502 507,731 114,085 737,004 97,290 65,210 886,313 4,126,793
1916 229,272 877,694 695,347 530,411 121,656 803,872 97,669 69,403 1,012,623 4,437,947
1917 257,286 941,120 847,202 627,919 149,756 903,109 109,586 83,369 1,360,165 5,287,522

FOOTNOTES:

[740]Established January 10, 1851. The membership given for 1850 is that with which the amalgamation started.

[741]Merged in the National Union of Bookbinders and Machine Rulers, 1911.

[742]In 1902 joined with the Operative Cabinet and Chair Makers of Scotland to form the National Amalgamated Furnishing Trades Association.

[743]Amalgamated in 1913 with the United Pointsmen and Signalmen and the General Railway Workers’ Union to form the National Union of Railwaymen.

[744]In 1917 the members of the British Steel Smelters were merged in the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation.

[745][From Labour Department’s Reports on Trade Unions for 1900, 1905-7 and 1912, Cmd. 773, 4651 and 6109, and Labour Gazette.]