National Union of Vehicle Builders

The National Union of Vehicle Builders (NUVB) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. The NUVB represented a mixture of skilled and unskilled workers in the automotive industry.[3]

National Union of Vehicle Builders

Founded	1834
Date dissolved	1972
Merged into	Transport and General Workers' Union
Members	9,186 (1907)[1] 74,140 (1972)[2]
Affiliation	TUC, ITUC, CSEU
Key people	Alf Roberts (Gen Sec)
Office location	44 Hathersage Road, Manchester
Country	United Kingdom

History

The union was formed in 1834 as the United Kingdom Society of Coachmakers, adopting the name National Union of Vehicle Builders in 1919.[4] In 1920, the London and Provincial Coachmakers, the Operative Coachmakers' Federal Union, and the Coachmen and Vicesmiths' Trade Society joined the union, while the Amalgamated Wheelwrights, Smiths and Kindred Trades Union joined in 1923.[5]

In 1934, the union had 20,439 members, divided into 150 branches.[6] The union's increase in dues, was the basis for the 1950 court case Edwards v Halliwell. It merged with the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU) in 1972, forming a new automotive trade group within the TGWU.[7]

Election results

The union sponsored Labour Party candidates in several Parliamentary elections.[8][9]

Election	Constituency	Candidate	Votes	Percentage	Position
1918 general election	Swindon	Joseph Compton	8,393	39.9	2
1922 general election	Swindon	Joseph Compton	11,502	43.6	2
1923 general election	Manchester Gorton	Joseph Compton	16,080	60.0	1
1924 general election	Manchester Gorton	Joseph Compton	16,383	56.0	1
1929 general election	Manchester Gorton	Joseph Compton	22,056	61.1	1
1931 general election	Manchester Gorton	Joseph Compton	16,316	42.3	2
1935 general election	Manchester Gorton	Joseph Compton	20,039	55.9	1
1955 general election	Chertsey	Richard H. Edwards	14,656	38.9	2
1959 general election	Kirkcaldy Burghs	Harry Gourlay	25,428	58.3	1
1964 general election	Kirkcaldy Burghs	Harry Gourlay	24,263	60.0	1
1966 general election	Kirkcaldy Burghs	Harry Gourlay	23,273	59.6	1
1970 general election	Kirkcaldy Burghs	Harry Gourlay	22,986	56.0	1

General Secretaries

1900s: W. J. Clouter

1914: James Nicholson

1935: Harry Halliwell

1953: F. S. Winchester

1962: Alf Roberts

1968: Gabrielis Gallus

1971: Granville Hawley (acting)

See also

• Transport and General Workers' Union
• TGWU amalgamations

References

1. Report on Trade Unions in 1905-1907. London: Board of Trade. 1909. p. 82-101.
2. Jeremy Waddington, Restructuring Representation, p.272
3. The Closed Shop in Britain. Basil Blackwell & Mott. 1964. p. 48. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
4. Cook, Chris, ed. (2006). The Routledge Guide to British Political Archives: Sources since 1945. Routledge. p. 400. ISBN 9781136509612. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
5. "Vehicle Builders' Amalgamation", Manchester Guardian, 28 November 1923
6. Marsh, Arthur Ivor; Ryan, Victoria (2009). Smethurst, John B. (ed.). Historical Directory of Trade Unions. 6. Ashgate Publishing. p. 59. ISBN 9780754693239. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
7. Cook, Chris, ed. (2006). The Routledge Guide to British Political Archives: Sources since 1945. Routledge. p. 398. ISBN 9781136509612. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
8. "List of Parliamentary Labour candidates and election results, February 23rd, 1950". Annual Report of the Labour Party. 1950.
9. Webster, Jack (2007). Jack Webster's Aberdeen. Birlinn. p. 200. ISBN 1841584789.

External links

• Catalogue of the NUVB archives, held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick