Of the AAM's various districts, only the Cambrian Miners' Association survived the collapse, but it steadily grew in membership, and other local unions were founded.

The local unions disagreed over whether to negotiate wages as part of a "sliding scale", where pay rose and fell in line with coal export prices.

Numerous local coal miners' unions found their funds depleted and decided to merge.

Chris Williams estimates that, while reliable figures are unavailable, it appears that no more than 18% of the workforce in the South Wales Coalfield were union members between 1892 and 1897.

However, when the MFGB held a ballot on affiliation to the Labour Party in 1906, a majority of SWMF members voted in favour.

The districts were replaced by eight areas, employing one or more agents, but otherwise much less important, governance moving to the level of the combine or lodge.

The Monmouthshire and South Wales Colliery Enginemen, Stokers and Surface Craftsmen's General Association left in 1903.