The Cannock Chase Miners', Enginemen's and Surfacemen's Association was a

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

representing

coal miner Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extrac ...

s working the

Cannock Chase Coalfield Cannock Chase Coalfield is a coalfield in Staffordshire, England, lying directly under Cannock Chase. It forms a rough triangle between Brereton, Staffordshire, Brereton, Essington and Pelsall. The Cannock Chase Coalfield lies just to the north ...

in the

Cannock Chase Cannock Chase, often referred to locally as The Chase, is a mixed area of countryside in the county of Staffordshire, England. The area has been designated as the Cannock Chase National Landscape, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and muc ...

area of England. The union was founded in 1876. Albert Stanley became the leader of the union in 1884, and he put it on a much sounder footing. In 1886, it became a founder constituent of the

Midland Counties Miners' Federation The Midland Counties Miners' Federation was a trade union, representing coal miners in the West Midlands region of England. History The union was founded in 1886. It initially had seven affiliates, including the North Stafford Miners' Associati ...

, through which it subsequently became part of the

Miners' Federation of Great Britain The Miners' Federation of Great Britain (MFGB) was established after a meeting of local mining trade unions in Newport, Wales, Newport, Wales in 1888. The federation was formed to represent and co-ordinate the affairs of local and regional miners' ...

(MFGB). The association registered as a union with the Board of Trade in 1887, and at that point Stanley was officially appointed as general secretary. Membership of the union grew steadily, reaching 7,500 in 1907. In 1945, the union became the Cannock Chase District of the Midland Area of the National Union of Mineworkers, with far less autonomy than before. A couple of years later, it absorbed the Pelsall District. National Union of Mineworkers, "Annual Conference 1946: Report of the National Executive Committee", p.98

General Secretaries

:1884: Albert Stanley :1907: S. F. Dangerfield :c.1915: John Baker

References

{{National Union of Mineworkers (UK) Mining trade unions National Union of Mineworkers (Great Britain) Politics of Staffordshire 1876 establishments in England Mining in Staffordshire Trade unions established in 1876 Trade unions based in Staffordshire