Operative Society of Masons, Quarrymen and Allied Trades of England and Wales facts for kids

Imagine a group of people who do the same job, like building with stone. Sometimes, they need to work together to make sure they are treated fairly, get good pay, and have safe working conditions. This is what a trade union does. The Operative Society of Masons, Quarrymen and Allied Trades of England and Wales was a very important trade union in the United Kingdom. It helped stonemasons (people who cut and shape stone) and other workers who built things.

A Union for Stone Workers

The Operative Society of Masons started on March 23, 1833. Its first name was the Friendly Society of Operative Stonemasons of England, Ireland and Wales. At first, it was like a group of many smaller, local unions working together. But it grew very quickly! By 1835, just two years later, it had 4,000 members and 100 local groups, called branches. This meant it was becoming a big national organization.

Early Challenges and Growth

The union faced some tough times early on. It got involved with another group called the Operative Builders Union, which caused problems. The union's money ran out, and its membership dropped to only 2,000 people.

But things got better in 1836. More people joined, and the union's money situation improved. However, in 1842, they ran into trouble again because of disagreements about building the Houses of Parliament.

Standing Up for Workers

Even with challenges, the union slowly grew through the 1840s. It focused on solving local problems and welcomed other small stonemason groups. The last one to join was the Bristol Operative Stonemasons' Society in 1849.

The union often had money problems. From 1847, it decided that only workers could be members, not their bosses. This helped them focus on the needs of the employees.

In 1859 and 1860, the union led a big strike that lasted a whole year. They were fighting against something called "The Document," which was a rule employers wanted to use. The union also played a major role in the "Nine Hours Movement." This movement pushed for a shorter workday, aiming for nine hours instead of longer. Because of their efforts, by the 1860s, this union was the second largest in the UK! Only the Amalgamated Society of Engineers was bigger.

Protecting Local Jobs

One of the union's main goals in its early years was to stop stone that had already been shaped and cut (called "worked stone") from being sent to another town without the union's permission. They wanted to make sure that local stonemasons had work.

After trying several times, they finally succeeded in Sheffield in 1862. By 1867, they were able to apply this rule all over the country. This made them the most powerful union in the building industry by the early 1870s.

However, in 1877, the union went on strike again, asking for a pay raise. They lost this strike, which was a big setback. Their membership dropped sharply from 27,200 to 12,600. After this, employers cut wages and made workers put in longer hours.

Later Years and Mergers

The union's membership went up again in the 1890s, reaching its highest point of 19,682 members in 1899. But by 1910, it had fallen to 7,055.

By this time, the union believed that all building trade workers should be part of one big union. So, in early 1921, the Operative Society of Masons joined with two other unions: the London Order of Bricklayers and the Manchester Unity of Bricklayers. Together, they formed a new, larger union called the Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers.

General Secretaries

The General Secretary was the main leader of the union. Here are some of the people who held this important role:

• 1833: George Bevan
• 1834: Angus McGregor
• 1836: James Rennie
• 1838: Thomas Shortt
• 1843: Thomas Carter
• 1847: Richard Harnott
• 1872: James Edward Dyer
• 1883: William Hancock
• 1910: William Williams