Transport and General Workers' Union

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The Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU or T&G) was one of the largest general trade unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland—where it was known as the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' UnionTemplate:Efn (ATGWU)—with 900,000 members (and was once the largest trade union in the world).

The TGWU was officially founded on 1 January 1922 with the amalgamation of 14 individual trades unions. Ernest Bevin served as the union's first and longest serving General Secretary.

In 2007, the union voted to merge with Amicus to form Unite the Union.

HistoryEdit

EstablishmentEdit

File:TGWU 1921 Leamington Conference Delegation.png

Founding delegates of the TGWU in 1921 at a conference in Leamington

In March 1920, the London-based Dock, Wharf, Riverside & General Labourers' Union (DWRGLU) began talks on forming a unified dockworkers' union with the Liverpool-based National Union of Dock, Riverside and General Workers (NUDRW).Template:Sfn

The two unions' delegations agreed on a provisional amalgamation committee with Ernest Bevin as its Secretary, and Harry Gosling as its chair, with the committee agreeing to invite other unions related to the docks industry.Template:Sfn

In ballots of the various unions on amalgamation, only the ballots put to the Amalgamated Stevedores Labour Protection League, the Scottish Union of Dock Labourers (SUDW) and the Cardiff Coal Trimmers memberships failed.Template:Sfn

While the new union was being established, the official publication of the union, The Record, published its first issue in August 1921.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The first issue cited its predecessor publications as the Dockers' Record of the DWRGLU; Quayside and Office of the National Union of Docks, Wharves and Shipping Staffs; The Record of the United Vehicle Workers; and The Vehicle Worker of the National Union of Vehicle Workers.<ref name=":3" />

On 1 January 1922, fourteen trades unionsTemplate:Efn officially amalgamated to form the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU), with Ernest Bevin as its first General Secretary.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn At amalgamation the union had 300,000 members.Template:Sfn

The Irish Transport and General Workers' Union (ITGWU) had tentatively taken part in the negotiations, however the talks with the ITGWU broke down.Template:Sfn The ITGWU initially challenged the name of the TGWU, claiming that the similar titles would cause confusion.Template:Sfn Compromise was reached when the TGWU agreed to operate under the name Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union (ATGWU) within Ireland.Template:Sfn

The NUDRW amalgamated into the TGWU later in 1922,Template:Sfn Template:Sfn and despite initially voting against the ballot, so did the SUDW.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Through the NUDRW and the DWR&GLU, the TGWU inherited a number of active branches in Ireland in Belfast, Carrick-on-Suir, Clonmel, Cork, Derry, Drogheda, Dundalk, Newry and Waterford.Template:Sfn The Irish membership of the TGWU in 1922 amounted to 8,000,Template:Sfn or just over 2.65% of the union's total membership.

Early yearsEdit

For the first two years of its existence, the TGWU lost members, and continued to lose members for another four out of eight years.Template:Sfn

In 1923, an unofficial London dock strike caused a fissure in the TGWU, and resulted in some docks members joining the now-rival Amalgamated Stevedores Labour Protection League union.Template:Sfn While the issue failed to create a larger defection, the two unions would come into conflict multiple times.Template:Sfn

In 1929, the Workers' Union amalgamated into the TGWU.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Despite being named as a general workers union, the TGWU was primarily made up of workers in the union's four transport Trade Groups—Docks, Waterways, Commercial Road Transport, and Passenger Road Transport. As of 1928, the four transport groups made up 220,000 members of the TGWU in comparison the General Workers Trade Group which constituted only 68,000.Template:Sfn With amalgamation, the TGWU's membership increased by 100,000 members, the majority of whom joined its General Workers Group, making the group the largest.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn This increase in General Trade Group members garnered the Union the recognition and infrastructure to recruit new members outside of the transport sector.Template:Sfn

StructureEdit

File:Transport and General Workers Union Central Office 1.jpg

TGWU Central Office Transport House in London, 2005

File:Transport and General Workers' Union office, Bristol.jpg

TGWU Bristol office, 2007

The Transport and General Workers' Union structure combined regional organisation, based on Districts and Areas, with committee organisation by occupation, based on six broad Trade Groups. Trade groups were not closely linked to trades, but were elected by activists. Officials of the union were grouped by region, and could be asked to serve each or any trade group.

Docks GroupEdit

The Docks Group was created in 1922 to represent members of the following unions:

Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Labourers' Union of Great Britain and Ireland
South Side Labour Protection League (London, est. 1889)
National Amalgamated Coal Workers' Union (London, est. 1889)
National Amalgamated Labourers' Union (Cardiff, est. 1889)
North of England Trimmers' and Teemers' Association (est. 1871)

The group originally had a subsection for coal shipping.Template:Sfn In 1928, it had 96,000 members, but over time, membership of the group declined along with employment on the docks, dropping to 56,000 in 1966, and had 51,153 in 1980.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

Waterways GroupEdit

The Waterways Group was created in 1922 to represent members of the Amalgamated Society of Watermen, Lightermen and Bargemen. Always one of the smallest sections, it had only 8,000 members in 1928, and 16,000 in 1966.Template:Sfn In 1970, it was merged into the Docks Group.

Administrative, Clerical and Supervisory GroupEdit

The Administrative, Clerical and Supervisory Group was created in 1922 to represent members of the following unions:

There was often ambiguity in the TGWU over the actual name of its white-collar section. From the 1960s it was generally known as ACTS (Administrative, Clerical, Technical and Supervisory) but also sometimes as the ACTSS (Association of Clerical, Technical and Supervisory Staff) and enamel union badges bearing both sets of initials were produced for members. It was noted for an enquiry by the Certification Office in 2006 into board members who had joined the union within six months of being elected to senior posts.

The group grew significantly over time, having only 5,000 members in 1928, but 62,000 by 1966, and 149,801 members in 1980.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

Road Transport (Passenger and Commercial) GroupsEdit

The Road Transport group was created in 1922 to represent members of the following unions:

Amalgamated Association of Carters and Motormen (Leeds, est. 1916)
Amalgamated Carters, Lurrymen and Motormen's Union (Bolton, est. 1890)
Associated Horsemen's Union (Greenock, est. 1894)
National Union of Vehicle Workers
North of Scotland Horse and Motormen's Association (Dundee, 1911)
United Vehicle Workers

Later in 1922, the group was split into Road Transport (Passenger) and Road Transport (Commercial) groups.Template:Sfn The Passenger group had 79,000 members in 1928 and 181,000 in 1966, but by 1980, the renamed Passenger Services group had dropped to only 44,501 members. The Commercial Services group rose from 37,000 members in 1928 to 219,000 in 1966, and 226,290 in 1980.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

General Workers GroupEdit

The General Workers Group was created in 1922 to cater for all workers in jobs which did not fall into another group. Initially, it had subsections for workers in metal and chemical trades. Once it was considered that a particular field had enough members to justify its own trade group, it was split out. These decisions were made at the Biennial Delegate Conference, and although there were many applications to form new trade groups, most were unsuccessful. The group had 68,000 members in 1928, and it then doubled in size when the Workers' Union merged into the TGWU.Template:Sfn By 1966, it had 338,000 members and, despite the splitting out of further groups in 1970, by 1980 it still had 269,845 members.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

The first groups to be split out were:Template:Sfn

Power Workers, formed in 1926 from the National Amalgamated Union of Enginemen, Firemen, Mechanics, Motormen and Electrical Workers. It had 20,000 members in 1928, rising to 41,000 by 1966.
Engineering, formed in 1931, principally from members of the Workers' Union. By 1966, it had 269,000 members.
Government, formed in 1943, with 58,000 members by 1966.
Municipal, formed in 1945, with 44,000 members by 1966.
Agricultural, formed in 1945, with 13,000 members by 1966.
joined by the National Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers
Building, formed in 1953, with 53,000 members by 1966.
Chemical, formed in 1953, with 61,000 members by 1966.

Later mergersEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The Scottish Union of Dock Labourers and the National Union of Dock, Riverside and General Workers in Great Britain and Ireland initially voted not to amalgamate as founding members, but a new voted changed their position, and they joined before the end of 1922, along with the Amalgamated Carters, Lurrymen and Motormen's Union, the Greenock Sugar Porters' Union, the Dundee Flax and Jute Stowers' Society, the National Union of British Fishermen, and the Belfast Breadservers' Association. Some of these unions retained a great deal of autonomy and in many ways effectively functioned as separate unions, even being registered separately with the Registrar of Friendly Societies The biggest merger was with the Workers' Union in 1929, the union being fully integrated into the TGWU in 1931.Template:Sfn

CampaignsEdit

The Transport and General Workers' Union spearheaded the campaign for the registration of Gangmasters in the UK, sponsoring an Act of Parliament which received the Royal Assent on 8 July 2004.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Merger with AmicusEdit

During 2005 discussions started between the TGWU, Amicus and the GMB about the possibility of merging the three unions into one organisation with potentially 2.5 million members covering almost every sector of the economy. On 14 June 2006 the GMB Conference voted not to continue with discussions.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref>

The TGWU and Amicus proceeded without GMB involvement,<ref name=":1" /> with delegates from the two unions approving the proposed 'Instrument of Amalgamation' at a special conference on 18 December 2006. The ballot of both unions' membership during February and early March 2007, approved the merger. The result of the ballot was announced on 8 March 2007: 86.4 per cent of T&G members and 70.1 per cent of Amicus members voted to support the merger, from a turnout of 27% in both cases.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":0" />

The press release announced that the resulting union had the working title "New Union" and the name would be decided by a ballot of the membership.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On 2 April 2007, The Times reported that the name Unite had been chosen.<ref>Template:Cite news </ref> and that full merger of rule books and governing bodies may soon follow the existing merger of personnel and finance departments.<ref>Template:Cite news </ref>

It was negotiated that both Derek Simpson, General Secretary of Amicus, and Tony Woodley General Secretary of TGWU, would serve as Joint-General Secretaries of Unite until December 2010 and that Tony Woodley would serve alone until January 2012.<ref name=":2" /> Despite this Woodley resigned January 2011, a year earlier than planned.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

AffiliationsEdit

Labour Party (UK)
Labour Party (Republic of Ireland)
Trades Union Congress (TUC)
Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU)
Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC)
International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF)
International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF)
Union Network International (UNI)
International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Association (IUF)
Public Services International (PSI)
International Federation of Building and Woodworkers (IFBW)
International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITLGW)
International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM)

Regions – particularly Region One which covered London, the South East and Eastern England, also had a tradition of donating to other causes, as did branch committees, which controlled a substantial proportion of membership income.

OfficersEdit

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General SecretariesEdit

1922: Ernest Bevin

1945: Arthur Deakin (acting from 1940)

1955: Jock Tiffin

1956: Frank Cousins

1964: Harry Nicholas (acting)

1969: Jack Jones

1978: Moss Evans

1985: Ron Todd

1992: Bill Morris

2003: Tony Woodley

Deputy General SecretariesEdit

1974: Harry Urwin

1980: Alec Kitson

1986: Bill Morris

1992: Jack Adams

1999: Margaret Prosser

2002: Tony Woodley

2003: Jack Dromey

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Assistant General SecretariesEdit

1924: John Cliff

1935: Arthur Deakin

1945: Harold Clay

1948: Jock Tiffin

1955: Frank Cousins

1956: Harry Nicholas

1968: Harry Urwin

1974: Vacant

1985: Eddie Haigh and Larry Smith

1988: Eddie Haigh

1991: Vacant?

1999: Barry Camfield and Jimmy Elsby

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AmalgamationsEdit

The list of TGWU amalgamations highlights the scale of the TGWU policy of mergers, amalgamations and transfers of engagements, which contributed to its membership growth and the spread of its membership base.