Herbert Booth (trade unionist)
Herbert W. Booth (died 1977 or 1978[1]) was a British trade unionist.
Booth worked as a coal miner in Nottinghamshire and became active in the Nottinghamshire Miners' Association (NMA). He won an NMA scholarship to attend the Central Labour College. There, he met A. J. Cook, who became a lifelong friend.[2]
Booth returned to Nottinghamshire in 1914, where he joined the Independent Labour Party (ILP). He led a successful campaign against the NMA leadership's plans to leave the Miners' Federation of Great Britain's (MFGB) political fund, and also began teaching classes on politics and economics to other miners; attendees included Jack W. Smith.[3]
Booth was elected as a checkweighman at Annesley Colliery. When the NMA underwent a major split after the UK General Strike, he remained loyal, and was rewarded by election as its vice-president. In 1932, changes in the union's leadership led to a series of elections; Booth stood unsuccessfully for the posts of general secretary and financial secretary, before winning one to become president.[3]
As president, Booth focused on promoting reunification with the rival Nottinghamshire Miners' Industrial Union (NMIU). This was unpopular with some NMA activists, but was supported by Cook, who had become secretary of the MFGB. In 1937, Booth stood down as president to become a full-time agent for the union. Later that year, the NMA merged with the NMIU to form the Nottinghamshire Miners' Federated Union; the rationalisation of posts in the new union led to Booth losing both his work as an agent and his position on the executive committee.[3]
Despite being temporarily sidelined, Booth remained a prominent figure among Nottinghamshire miners. In 1944, the NMFU became the Nottinghamshire Area of the National Union of Mineworkers. New rules on maximum ages of union officers forced general secretary Val Coleman to retire in 1945, and Booth won election as general secretary of the union. He retired a few years later.[3]
References
- ↑ Report of the Annual Conference and Special Conference of the Labour Party (1978), p.87
- ↑ Alan R. Griffin, The Miners of Nottinghamshire, vol.I, p.173
- 1 2 3 4 Alan R. Griffin, The Miners of Nottinghamshire, vol.II, p.39
| Trade union offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by F. Rawson? |
Vice President of the Nottinghamshire Miners' Association c.1926 – 1932 |
Succeeded by William Askew |
| Preceded by Val Coleman |
President of the Nottinghamshire Miners' Association 1932 – 1937 |
Succeeded by Bernard Taylor |
| Preceded by Val Coleman |
General Secretary of the Nottinghamshire Area of the National Union of Mineworkers 1945 – c.1950 |
Succeeded by Albert Martin |