The union was founded in Middlesbrough in 1888, following an unsuccessful strike regarding wages at the Britannia Works. The leaders of the strike were victimised and, led by George Beadle, they formed a union. By 1891, it had a solid base in the north east of England, and decided to also begin recruiting steel workers in Sheffield. One of its first members there was Moses Humberstone, who later became president of the union.
