{{Infobox union
, name = Merchant Navy and Airline Officers' Association
, image =
, founded = 1956
, predecessor =
, successor =
, dissolved = 1985
, merged =
National Union of Marine, Aviation and Shipping Transport Officers
The National Union of Marine, Aviation and Shipping Transport Officers (NUMAST) was a United Kingdom trade union representing seafarers and allied workers that existed between 1985 and 2006. It then changed its name to Nautilus UK and, in 2008, it ...
Leytonstone
Leytonstone ( ) is an area in East London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It adjoins Wanstead to the north-east, Forest Gate to the south-east, Stratford to the south-west, Leyton to the west, and Walthamstow to the nor ...
, footnotes =
The Merchant Navy and Airline Officers' Association (MNAOA) 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 officers 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
.
The origins of the union lay in 1921, when Captain W. H. Coombes founded the Navigators and General Insurance Company Ltd. It offered insurance for officers in the merchant navy against the possibility of the
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for Business and Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...
cancelling their certificate of competency. A succession of small rivals began offering similar services, prompting Coombes to expand operations to the insurance of small vessels. He also created a trust to administer the company, and this began representing officers in negotiations with employers and the government.Arthur Marsh and Victoria Ryan, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions'', vol.3, pp.203-204
Over time, the trade union functions of the company increased and, in 1935, the Navigators and Engineering Officers' Union was created to take these on, with all policyholders becoming members. In 1956, the Marine Engineers' Association merged in, and the union was renamed as the MNAOA. In 1985, it merged with the Radio and Electronic Officers' Union to form the
National Union of Marine, Aviation and Shipping Transport Officers
The National Union of Marine, Aviation and Shipping Transport Officers (NUMAST) was a United Kingdom trade union representing seafarers and allied workers that existed between 1985 and 2006. It then changed its name to Nautilus UK and, in 2008, it ...
Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick
The Modern Records Centre (MRC) is the specialist archive service of the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, located adjacent to the Central Campus Library. It was established in October 1973 and holds the world's largest archive collect ...