page_title: Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners' Association
section_title: Activities
hierarchical_section_title: Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners' Association / Activities
caption_attribution_description: English: Etching of Sir William Lewis
context_page_description: The Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners' Association was an association of mine owners in South Wales that was active between 1873 and 1955.
  It fought wage increases, safety regulations, unionisation and other changes that would cut into profits.
  It managed to link miners wages, which were based on piece-work, to the price of coal.
  It was involved in various labour disputes, including a lengthy strike in 1926.
  The coal mines became unprofitable in the 1930s and were nationalized in 1947, making the association irrelevant.
context_section_description: The Coal Owners Association represented the owners of the mines so they could present a common front when dealing with the miners and could resist wage increases.
  It also represented the owners in court cases resulting from labour disputes and presented the owners' views on proposed legislation.
  The association was strongly opposed to safety legislation, working hours reductions and recognition of trade unions, and this resulted in a series of labour disputes.
  The members agreed to observe contracts made by the Association with workmen regarding their wages and employment conditions.
  They agreed not to hire workmen from another colliery during a strike at that colliery.
  The association defined the "Sliding Scale", an arrangement that regulated all coal mining wages based on the price of coal.
  Different sliding scales were defined in 1875, 1880, 1882, 1890 and 1892. 
  The scale of 1 January 1892 was agreed by representatives of the Coal Owners Association and delegates representing the colliery workmen other than enginemen, stokers and outside fitters.
  The principle was that wages were based on the rates  paid by the collieries under the December 1879 agreement, with a percentage increase or decrease based on the selling price of coal. 
  This price was determined every two months as the average net selling price of coal delivered free on board at the docks of Cardiff, Newport, Swansea and Barry.
  The hewers received piece rates based on the net weight of coal extracted after eliminating small coal, paid every two weeks.
  The Sliding-Scale committee had to mediate constant disputes over wages between members.The Times of 29 December 1891 described the Association as follows,
  The Association, which included sixty-seven of the most important coalowners and coalowning companies in July 1890, and possessed at that time a very large balance in cash, which has been increased to £100,000 at least, is practically a society for mutual assistance and indemnity against loss from strikes. Each member subscribes beforehand—and this is important—in proportion to his output, and the function of the Association is to regulate the action of members as to wages. ... if the men employed by a member ask for an increase in wages, the member asks the advice of the Association. If the Association tells him to yield, then yield he must ... if the Association tells him to resist, then he may resist in the full knowledge that he will be indemnified against loss of profits upon an agreed scale...
  The Times went on to describe that the men were fully aware of the huge resources of the mine-owner, backed up by the Association, and also that if they worked at a colliery immediately before a strike they would not be employed by any of the Association members. 
  The sliding scale was used to force both coalowners and workers to accept standard wages. 
  If a worker refused, he would not find work in any of the Association's collieries.
caption: William Thomas Lewis, founding member and inventor of the sliding scale
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