| Administrative History | The Sankey Commission, a Royal Commission set up in 1919 to investigate conditions within the coal industry, recommended a welfare levy of a penny a ton on coal output. This levy became part of the Mining Industry Act 1920, which introduced a statutory obligation for employers in twenty-five coal districts to financially support welfare provision for employees, former employees and their dependents. Between 1920 and 1938 the Miners' Welfare Fund was overseen by the Miners' Welfare Committee The Miners' Welfare Committee was appointed by the Board of Trade, with its members drawn from representatives of both colliery owners and mineworkers. Officials of the Derbyshire Miners' Association (DMA) were members of the Derbyshire committee, which contributed to several welfare initiatives in the 1920s and 1930s, such as the installation of pithead baths and canteens at various collieries in north-east Derbyshire.
In 1939 the committee became the Miners' Welfare Commission, with no significant changes to its composition or responsibilities. The Coal Industry Nationalization Act 1946, which brought the coal industry under the control of the state in January 1947, did not abolish the Commission. Instead, the newly created National Coal Board (NCB), given responsibility for guaranteeing the welfare of its employees, and the Miners' Welfare Commission came together to form a National Miners' Joint Welfare Council. The new joint authority was responsible for coordinating welfare activities in the coal industry and consisted of all members of the Miners' Welfare Commission plus two representatives of the NCB. In the East Midlands Division of the NCB a Divisional Welfare Committee was appointed by the Council and had representatives from the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) Derbyshire Area, the NCB's East Midlands Division, the National Association of Colliery Managers, the National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shotfirers (NACODS), Area Welfare Committees, and other actively involved in the management of miners' welfare schemes. Group Committees were established as a way of linking the work of Area Welfare Committees and Local Welfare Committees.
From July 1952 the National Miners' Welfare Joint Council was replaced by the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation (CISWO). Responsibility for colliery welfare, such as pithead baths, canteens, on-site medical provision, and training, rested with the NCB, while social welfare, such as recreational activities, sports and education, belonged to CISWO, which had a Central Council and nine Divisional Welfare Committees. Under the Companies Act 1948 CISWO was incorporated as a company in February 1952.
CISWO became a charitable trust in 1995. |