The National Association for the Protection of Labour was one of the first attempts at creating a

national trade union centre A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national trade union center, and many have more than one. In some regions, such a ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. The organization was established in July, 1830 by John Doherty, after an apparently unsuccessful attempt to create a similar national presence with the National Union of Cotton-spinners. Doherty was the first secretary, and the Association quickly enrolled approximately 150 unions. These consisted mostly of textile related unions, but also included mechanics, blacksmiths, and various others. Within the first nine months, Webb estimates that membership was between 10,000 and 20,000 individuals spread across the five counties of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancas ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county tow ...

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

, and

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

. As a part of establishing awareness and legitimacy, union officials started an unsuccessful weekly paper, the ''United Trades Co-operative Journal''. This was soon followed in 1831 by a larger publication, the ''Voice of the People'', having the declared intention "to unite the productive classes of the community in one common bond of union." With notable exceptions, the association continued to grow and expand, reaching 100,000 members and a circulation of 30,000 for the ''Voice of the People''. However, by mid 1832, the National Association for the Protection of Labour appears to have rapidly faded. Disagreements between Doherty and the executive committee; the disappearance of the weekly paper; and fractured relations with its constituent unions, particularly from

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

, ultimately inflicted "a fatality" upon the association. The place of the association was soon filled by numerous other general trade societies - most directly by the

Operative Builders' Union The Operative Builders' Union was an early trade union federation representing construction and maintenance workers in the United Kingdom. The union dated its formation to 1831, although it is not known to have existed with certainty until 1833. ...

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