▁un ions ▁first ▁secretary , ▁Joseph ▁Be vir ▁Williams , ▁who ▁became ▁the ▁leader ▁of ▁the ▁Am alg am ated ▁Mus icians ' ▁Union ▁as ▁the ▁union ▁was ▁renamed ▁to ▁include ▁artists ▁from ▁across ▁the ▁United ▁Kingdom . ▁On ▁ 8 ▁June ▁ 1 8 9 3 , ▁the ▁first ▁branch ▁was ▁formed ▁in ▁D und ee , ▁with ▁branches ▁being ▁formed ▁in ▁Glasgow , ▁New castle ▁upon ▁Ty ne ▁and ▁Liverpool ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁year ▁and ▁over ▁one ▁thousand ▁members ▁joined . ▁ ▁By ▁ 1 8 9 4 ▁the ▁Union ▁had ▁over ▁two ▁thousand ▁members , ▁and ▁another ▁sevent een ▁branches ▁had ▁opened , ▁these ▁were ▁focused ▁in ▁Scotland , ▁the ▁Mid lands ▁and ▁the ▁North ▁of ▁England . ▁The ▁Un ions ▁first ▁General ▁Me eting ▁was ▁held ▁in ▁Manchester ▁in ▁ 1 8 9 3 , ▁the ▁first ▁Conference ▁took ▁place ▁in ▁Liverpool ▁the ▁following ▁year ▁where ▁the ▁elected ▁committee ▁was ▁appointed . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 8 9 4 ▁the ▁first ▁strike ▁happened ▁in ▁Liverpool ▁Court ▁Theatre , ▁management ▁had ▁offered ▁that ▁the ▁mus icians ▁in ▁the ▁or chestra ▁take ▁a ▁pay ▁cut ▁and ▁in ▁doing ▁so ▁the ▁theatre ▁would ▁open ▁for ▁four ▁of ▁the ▁eight ▁weeks ▁during ▁the ▁summer ▁when ▁the ▁theatre ▁would ▁normally ▁shut . ▁Williams ▁led ▁the ▁strike ▁and ▁was ▁able ▁to ▁have ▁the ▁w ages ▁of ▁the ▁majority ▁of ▁the ▁or chestra ▁re inst ated . ▁Further ▁strik es ▁happened ▁in ▁ 1 8 9 5 ▁and ▁ 1 8 9 7 ▁in ▁Le eds