THE LOCOMOTIVE STEAM ENGINEMEN


 AND FIREMEN FRIENDLY SOCIETY


Established in 1839


The Pension Fund in connection with it was established in 1841




https://mrc-catalogue.warwick.ac.uk/records/TSS/P/1/1









The "Locomotive Steam Enginemen and Firemen's Friendly Society" claims first attention, from the fact that it is the oldest and the only friendly society established by railway servants which depends entirely on the contributions paid by its members. In its earliest inception it combined the dual character of friendly society and trades union, but since the Enginemen's strike on the Great Eastern or Eastern Counties Railway, the society has confirmed it operations to the passive functions of a benevolent or provident institution. It retains one feature, and one only, of the militant combinations known as "trade unions;" it gives assistance to members when travelling in search of employment. The amount of this travelling relief is limited to eight shilling per week, and to one such payment during a member's stay in any one town or place. The constitution of the society is best described as a confederation of many independent societies agreeing to be governed by a general assembly or parliament, in which each society is directly represented. Each "branch" is a separate society, managing its own funds and affairs, but agreeing to combine with other branches to form two general funds, and for the purpose of establishing a general directorate, which administers the general funds, and fulfils the duties of a court of appeal and guardian of the laws of the branches. Membership is restricted to locomotive men on railways who, on joining, must be between the ages of 18 and 40 years. The entrance fees range from 5s. for a person under 25, to £2 14s. 6d. for a person between 35 and 40 years. The contributions, including a quarterly payment of 1s. for superannuation, vary from 1s. 2d. per fortnight for a member joining when under 25 years, to 1s. 6d. per fortnight for a member who joins when between the ages of 35 and 40. The benefits are :- Sick pay of 10s. Weekly; donation of £18 at member's death, of £5 at the death of a member's wife; a weekly pension of 5s. in permanent disablement, and the travelling relief alluded to. The accumulated funds of the society are stated at £80,000 and the membership stands, we believe, at 6,000. The whole business is conducted by the members themselves, at regular meetings of the branches, which are situated in the chief railway centres of England, Scotland, and Ireland. The quiet efficiency manner in which it plays its part of collecting funds and administering to the wants of the unfortunate among the class it serves, is a creditable testimony to our Enginemen's capacity for self-government, and in striking contrast with some railway societies directed by the influence of the companies. A prevalent practice when establishing railwaymen's societies is to calculate on a certain amount of support from the charity of the public, with a view to save the pockets of the members. The practice is not worthy or commendable one, and we rejoice to find the Enginemen's Society exhibiting an example of self reliance which we hope to see more generally adopted. In our next impression we purpose to review the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants.

THE RAILWAY REVIEW  30TH JULY 1880



THE RAILWAY HERALD

22ND FEBRUARY 1896

THE A.S.L.E. AND F.


Sir, -- Railwaymen in general must have notices the desperate efforts being made by the combined forces of the A.S.R.S. and the Old Society to stem the tide of progress, which is everywhere being made by the Associated. The strikes one as rather a curious coalition after what has been said from time to time by those in authority. The A.S.R.S. would have us believe that a Friendly Society is quite a secondary matter with them, while the Old Society, when it has been approached by the Associated, has expressed a kind of horror of a trade union, yet now we find the two joining hands in a sort of unholy alliance. When will enginemen and firemen open their eyes and be able to see that both them and their Society are being used as a tool in the hands of A.S.R.S. leaders? The way they manage to advertise themselves at these meetings ought to be enough. They certainly do find room for the report of meetings held by our Old Society, but this only goes to show their hand all the more, because at the same time they confess they cannot find room for trade union matters. I see Mr. Bell has been, as one of your correspondents put it a short time ago, bellowing at Leeds, and the result is a column in the "Review"headed "Mr. Bell and the Engineers." They may take him seriously in Leeds, but those of us who know Dick, and have worked with him, cannot help a broad smile when we read such sentence on the following: "Between the two meetings a deputation of Midland firemen waited on ME for advice and information with regard to their movement. Every opportunity was given the engineers, etc., and I received high praise for "Lex," and was complimented myself by loco. men for showing them the light." now for bombast this would be hard to beat, and when we remember that the man who in his ignorance thus insults the enginemen and firemen of this country is an ex-goods guard, we cannot but wonder that the whole footplate fraternity do not rise in arms against him, and for ever give him a wide berth for his audacity; and I would here remind my fellow footplate workers that it is because we have allowed such men to think and act for us in the past, that we are in our position. Surely it is high time we awoke and told this ex-goods guard and his clan that we need their lights no longer as head lights, but simply as tail lights, as per rule. Surely the Midland firemen are not going to be so easily gulled. Have they so soon forgotten the failure of a few years ago as to be carried away with a little notice in the "Review"? Let the A.S.R.S. answer the questions put by me a few weeks ago re the meeting at Manchester. It is also amusing to watch the figures given by them as to the number of loco. men in the A.S.R.S. When the Associated had 6,000 they had 9,000; now the Associated has 8,000 they have 12,000. And I suppose in a short time hence, when the Associated has 20,00 they will have 30,000, although there are only a little over 30,000 in the country. Enginemen and firemen may take it for granted (and especially let this be a tip to Midland firemen) that the days are gone by when anything substantial can be done except by a large majority being in a Society of our own, or a by a national conference on the lines laid down by our representatives at Leeds in November last. This being so, I trust that enginemen and firemen throughout the country will give this their hearty support.


OLD ENGINEMEN

Swansea, February 8th, 1896

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