David Morgan (trade unionist)

David Morgan (Dai o'r Nant) was a Welsh miners' agent and trade unionist who played a prominent role in the history of industrial relations in the South Wales Coalfield from the 1870s until his death in 1900.

Morgan was born at Nantygwenith, Merthyr Tydfil, the third son of William Morgan. His parents kept a public house known as the Full Moon at Nantygwenith, and this accounts for the pseudonym Dai o'r Nant. His father was a local musician of some note and there is evidence that his son inherited some of his talents. In the late 1850s the family moved to Mountain Ash where Morgan found work at the Deep Navigation Colliery.

The early 1870s was a time that saw frequent industrial disputes in South Wales and there is evidence that Morgan was actively involved in these events. One of the earliest examples is of a large public meeting held at Aberaman in early 1870 when he supported a proposal that the miners of the Aberdare Valley join forces with those of the Rhondda and Monmouthshire to achieve their aims. Early in the following year, Morgan was again present at a delegate meeting of miners at Pontypridd. His involvement in these meetings demonstrate that he was already gaining stature as a representative,

During the 1870s Morgan became increasingly involved with the Amalgamated Association of Miners. In 1872, Alexander Macdonald and Thomas Halliday, the national leaders of the AAM had visited Aberdare and addressed a meeting at the Temperance Hall. Within the month, Morgan was addressing a meeting at Mountain Ash, reminding his fellow miners, 'in a temperate and telling speech', that as trade unionists they had a responsibilities to discuss their grievances with the owners before embarking on strike action. Even at this early stage, Morgan was setting out his stall as an advocate of moderation, a stance he retained for most of his career. By May 1873 he was a member of the union executive and had attended a meeting in Manchester.

In 1874 the miners' were defeated in a further coalfield-wide dispute which led to a reduction in wages. The AAM, as an umbrella oarganisation, went into terminal decline, although the various district unions struggled on, including that in the Aberdare Valley. Morgan sought election as miners' agent in 1875 but was defaated by Samuel Davies, Aberaman. Shortly afterwards, he withdrew from public life.

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