The National Amalgamated Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks (NAUSAWC, often known as the Shop Assistants' Union) 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 retail workers in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in 1891 with the merger of the East London Shop Assistants' Union and the Warehouse Assistants' Union. Based in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, it was originally named the National Union of Shop Assistants, and the following year, 1893 it became the National Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks. Its membership grew rapidly, from just under 1,300 in 1893 to more than 7,500 in 1900. During this period, it relocated its headquarters to London, merged in 1898 with the United Shop Assistants Union, and adopted its final name.Arthur Ivor Marsh, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions, Volume 5'', pp.127-128 In 1910, the union had more than 21,000 members, including 3,000 women, and was the second largest union of retail workers, after the

Amalgamated Union of Co-operative Employees The Amalgamated Union of Co-operative Employees (AUCE) was a trade union representing retail and related staff of co-operative businesses in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in 1891 at a meeting in Romiley and was originally named the Ma ...

. It continued to expand, merging with the National Association of Grocers Assistants in 1920 and the Dental Assistants Union in 1921. It built up a branch in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, but this left in 1921 to merge with the Irish Drapers' Assistants Association, forming the Irish Union of Distributive Workers and Clerks.Arthur Ivor Marsh, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions, Volume 5'', pp.119-120 In 1946, the union merged with the

National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers The National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers (NUDAW) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. History The union was founded in 1921 when the Amalgamated Union of Co-operative Employees merged with the National Union of Warehouse and Gen ...

to form the

Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw) is a trade union in the United Kingdom, consisting of over 360,000 members. Usdaw members work in a variety of occupations and industries including: shopworkers, factory and warehouse wor ...

. Notable figures associated with the union include assistant general secretary

Margaret Bondfield Margaret Grace Bondfield (17 March 1873 – 16 June 1953) was a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician, trade unionist and women's rights activist. She became the first female cabinet minister, and the first woman to be a priv ...

, and president

James Seddon James Alexander Seddon (July 13, 1815 – August 19, 1880) was an American lawyer and politician who served two terms as a Representative in the United States Congress, as a member of the Democratic Party. Seddon was appointed Confederate ...

Election results

The union sponsored Labour Party candidates in several Parliamentary elections, many of whom won election. {, class="wikitable sortable" ! Election !! Constituency !! Candidate !! Votes !! Percentage !! Position , - , rowspan=2,

1906 general election The following elections occurred in the year 1906. Asia * 1906 Persian legislative election Europe * 1906 Belgian general election * 1906 Croatian parliamentary election * Denmark ** 1906 Danish Folketing election ** 1906 Danish Landsting e ...

, ,

Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Roche ...

, , , , 873 , , 16.2 , , 3 , - ,

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: People * Newton (surname), including a list of people with the surname * ...

, , , , 6,434 , , 52.2 , , 1 , - , 1910 Jan general election , ,

, , , , 7,256 , , 52.7 , , 1 , - , 1910 Dec general election , ,

, , , , 6,562 , , 49.5 , , 2 , - , 1922 general election , , South East Essex , , , , 11,459 , , 45.9 , , 2 , - , 1923 general election , , South East Essex , , , , 13,979 , , 53.0 , , 1 , - , 1924 general election , , South East Essex , , , , 13,820 , , 41.2 , , 2 , - , 1929 general election , , Sheffield Central , , , , 19,183 , , 59.1 , , 1 , - , 1931 general election , , Sheffield Central , , , , 13,212 , , 38.0 , , 2 , - , rowspan=2, 1935 general election , ,

Sedgefield Sedgefield is a market town and civil parish in County Durham, England. It had a population of 4,986 in the 2021 census. It has the only operating racecourse in County Durham. Etymology The name ''Sedgefield'' is of Old English origin. It ...

, , , , 20,375 , , 52.3 , , 1 , - , Sheffield Central , , , , 13,408 , , 49.2 , , 2 , - , 1945 general election , ,

, , {{sortname, John, Leslie, John Leslie (politician) , , 27,051 , , 63.8 , , 1

General secretaries

:1891: William Johnson :1894:

James Macpherson James Macpherson ( Gaelic: ''Seumas MacMhuirich'' or ''Seumas Mac a' Phearsain''; 27 October 1736 – 17 February 1796) was a Scottish writer, poet, literary collector, and politician. He is known for the Ossian cycle of epic poems, which he ...

:1912:

John Turner John Napier Wyndham Turner (June 7, 1929September 19, 2020) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 17th prime minister of Canada from June to September 1984. He served as leader of the Liberal Party and leader of the Opposit ...

:1924: John Leslie :1936:

G. Maurice Hann George Maurice Hann (1 October 1885 – 27 March 1980) was a British people, British trade unionist. Born in Bristol, Hann worked as a shop assistant, and joined the National Amalgamated Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks (NAU ...

References

Trade unions established in 1891 Trade unions disestablished in 1947 Retail trade unions Trade unions based in London