Catalogue Number
NMLH.1992.101
Object Name
Emblem
Title
AMALGAMATED SOCIETY OF RAILWAY SERVANTS. THIS DISPENSATION.....
Place
Hornsey & London & England & UK
Description
Trade union emblems were not solely membership certificates for individuals. The dispensation emblem, issued by the union's central office, granted the power to establish a local union branch, confer membership, take membership fees, and conduct union business.
This dispensation emblem, establishing a branch of the Amalgamated Society Of Railway Servants (ASRS) in Hornsey, London, was issued in 1889.
The ASRS, established in 1872, merged with several other railway unions in 1913 to form the National Union Of Railwaymen. Unskilled and semi-skilled workers -- such as dockers or railwaymen -- were difficult to organize into unions.
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