Arthur James Cook (1883 - 1931), known as A. J. Cook, was a British coal miner and trade union leader. 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... Wyoming coal mine Coal mining is the mining of coal. ... A trade union or labor union is a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment. ...

Born in the small mining village of Wookey in Somerset, England to James and Vickie Cook. He moved to Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales to work in the mines at the age of sixteen. He first came to prominence in the Cambrian Coal Dispute in 1910 and went on to active involvement in the Miners' Unofficial Reform Committee which published the famous syndicalist pamphlet 'The Miners' Next Step' in 1912. Having established a reputation as a left-winger, Cook was elected as the secretary of the South Wales Miners' Federation in 1921. He was General Secretary of the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain from 1924 until 1931, a period that included the 1926 General Strike. Although a member of the Independent Labour Party, Cook worked closely with the Communist Party after its formation in 1920 and the National Minority Movement from 1924 to 1929. Wookey is a village and civil parish 2 miles west of Wells, on the River Axe in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. ... Somerset is a county in the south-west of England. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... Merthyr Tydfil (Welsh: ) is a town and county borough in Wales, with a population of about 55,000. ... This article is about the country. ... Syndicalism refers to a set of ideas, movements, and tendencies which share the avowed aim of transforming capitalist society through action by the working class on the industrial front. ... The South Wales Miners Federation (SWMF), nicknamed The Fed, was a trade union for miners in South Wales. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ... The National Union of Mineworkers is a trade union for coal miners in the United Kingdom. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar). ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... The UK General Strike of 1926 lasted nine days, from 3 May to 12 May 1926, and was called by the General Council of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in an unsuccessful attempt to force the government to act to prevent wage reduction and worsening conditions for coal miners. ... The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a former political party in the United Kingdom. ... The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist party in the United Kingdom. ... The National Minority Movement was a British organisation, linked to the Communist Party of Great Britain which attempted to organise a united front with the existing trade unions. ...

He famously set out the miners' demands as "not a penny off the pay, not a second [often quoted as "minute"] on the day".