Editing Society of Graphical and Allied Trades

{{short description|Former trade union of the United Kingdom}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox union
| name         = Society of Graphical and Allied Trades
| image        = File:Society of Graphical and Allied Trades logo.jpg
| founded      = 1966
| predecessor  = [[National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers]]<br />[[National Society of Operative Printers and Assistants]]
| successor    = 
| dissolved    = 1991
| merged       = [[Graphical, Paper and Media Union]]
| members      = 205,784 (1980)<ref name="eaton">{{cite book|last1=Eaton|first1=Jack|last2=Gill|first2=Colin|title=The Trade Union Directory|date=1981|publisher=Pluto Press|location=London|isbn=0861043502|pages=157–160}}</ref>
| publication  =''SOGAT Journal''<ref name="eaton" />
| location_country= United Kingdom
| affiliation  = [[Trades Union Congress|TUC]], [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| key_people   = 
| headquarters = SOGAT House, London Road, [[Hadleigh, Essex]]<ref name="eaton" />
| footnotes    = 
}}
[[File:SOGAT crest.jpg|thumb|The SOGAT crest]]
[[Image:Sogat House, Oval, London.jpg|thumb|The former SOGAT House at Oval, London. Photo taken July 2007.]]

The '''Society of Graphical and Allied Trades''' ('''SOGAT''') was a British [[trade union]] in the [[printing]] industry.

==History==
SOGAT was formed in 1966 by the [[National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers]] and the [[National Society of Operative Printers and Assistants]] (NATSOPA). The National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers became the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades Division A and NATSOPA became the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades Division 1. The aim was to achieve a complete merger over time, but differences led to in-fighting and in 1970 the two divisions split, Division A retaining the name Society of Graphical and Allied Trades and Division 1 becoming the [[National Society of Operative Printers, Graphical and Media Personnel]] (but retaining the NATSOPA acronym).

In 1975, SOGAT officially became the '''Society of Graphical and Allied Trades 1975''' ('''SOGAT '75''') after amalgamation with the [[Scottish Graphical Association]]. In 1982, SOGAT '75 and NATSOPA finally amalgamated to become the '''Society of Graphical and Allied Trades 1982''' ('''SOGAT '82'''). In 1991, SOGAT '82 merged with the [[National Graphical Association]] to form the [[Graphical, Paper and Media Union]], which subsequently merged with [[Amicus (trade union)|Amicus]] to become that union's Graphical, Paper and Media industrial sector.

==Election results==
The union did not initially sponsor Parliamentary candidates, but shortly after the [[1979 United Kingdom general election|1979 general election]], it changed its policy.  It sponsored [[Bob Litherland]]'s successful candidacy in the [[1979 Manchester Central by-election]], and also began sponsoring [[Ron Leighton]], who was already a sitting Member of Parliament.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gennard |first1=John |last2=Bain |first2=Peter |title=A History of the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades |date=1995 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |pages=428–430}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Election !! Constituency !! Candidate !! Votes !! Percentage !! Position
|-
| [[1979 Manchester Central by-election|1979 by-election]] || [[Manchester Central (UK Parliament constituency)|Manchester Central]] || {{sortname|Bob|Litherland}} || 7,494 || 70.7 || 1
|-
| rowspan=2 | [[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983 general election]] || [[Manchester Central (UK Parliament constituency)|Manchester Central]] || {{sortname|Bob|Litherland}} || 27,353 || 65.3 || 1
|-
| [[Newham North East (UK Parliament constituency)|Newham North East]] || {{sortname|Ron|Leighton}} || 19,282 || 49.7 || 1
|-
| rowspan=2 | [[1987 United Kingdom general election|1987 general election]] || [[Manchester Central (UK Parliament constituency)|Manchester Central]] || {{sortname|Bob|Litherland}} || 27,428 || 68.2 || 1
|-
| [[Newham North East (UK Parliament constituency)|Newham North East]] || {{sortname|Ron|Leighton}} || 20,220 || 51.9 || 1
|}

==General Secretaries==
:1966: [[Tom Smith (trade unionist)|Tom Smith]]<ref name="history">{{cite book |last1=Gennard |first1=John |last2=Bain |first2=Peter |title=A History of the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades |date=1995 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |page=214}}</ref>
:1970: Vincent Flynn<ref name="history" />
:1975: [[Bill Keys (trade unionist)|Bill Keys]]<ref name="history" />
:1982: Bill Keys and [[Owen O'Brien]]
:1985: [[Brenda Dean]]

==Presidents==
:1966: John McKenzie<ref name="history" />
:1967: Vincent Flynn<ref name="history" />
:1970: [[Bill Keys (trade unionist)|Bill Keys]]<ref name="history" />
:1975: Albert Powell<ref name="history" />
:1983: [[Brenda Dean]]<ref name="history" />
:1985: Danny Sergeant<ref name="history" />

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*[https://mrc.epexio.com/records/SOG Catalogue of the SOGAT archives], held at the [[Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick]]
*[https://mrc.epexio.com/records/PLM Catalogue of the Printing Machine Branch archives], held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick

{{Portal|Organized labour}}

[[Category:Trade unions established in 1966]]
[[Category:Trade unions disestablished in 1991]]
[[Category:Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1966 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Printing trade unions]]
[[Category:1991 disestablishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Trade unions based in Essex]]


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