South Yorkshire Miners Association
| Founded | 1 April 1858 |
|---|---|
| Date dissolved | 1 July 1881 |
| Merged into | Yorkshire Miners' Association |
| Affiliation | Miners' National Union |
| Office location | 2 Huddersfield Road, Barnsley |
| Country | United Kingdom |
The South Yorkshire Miners' Association (SYMA) was an early British trade union representing coal miners in the southern West Riding of Yorkshire and northern Derbyshire.
The union was founded in 1858 at the White Bear Inn in Barnsley in response to a planned wage cut, with Richard Mitchell appointed a few weeks later as its secretary. Following the formation of the union, colliery owners agreed not to impose cuts, but at the Oaks Colliery, the owner refused to re-employ union members. Following a lengthy strike, they were taken back, although they had to draw lots with blackleg workers for the seams of coal they had been working. Several more disputes took place over the next few years, the most important in 1859 at Wharncliffe Silkstone Colliery, where workers succeeded in keeping an elected checkweighman, John Normansell.
The union took part in national conferences of miners in Leeds and Ashton-under-Lyne in 1858 and 1859, but these did not lead to any lasting national union. They did agree to send a delegation to Parliament, with Mitchell as its secretary, which succeeded in getting the Mines Regulation Act 1860 passed. This permitted all miners to demand that they elect a checkweighman, although in practice this right was rarely recognised by employers. The Miners' National Association was finally established in 1863, with the strong support of the SYMA, and with Mitchell as its secretary.
In 1864, miners at the Oaks went on strike, asking for a month's advance of wages. This was without the sanction of the union and they did not initially receive any union benefits. However, many other colliery owners feared that the demand would spread, and pre-empted this by locking out miners across the district. This lasted for nineteen weeks, during which Normansell took the lead in maintaining solidarity. At this point, the owners reopened their mines, re-employing the miners under their former pay and conditions, although the Oaks held out until December. This action was considered a success for the union, and membership rose to 2,279.
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