Transport and General Workers' Union

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' Union (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.

History

Establishment

thumb|Founding delegates of the TGWU in 1921 at a conference in Leamington|270x270px

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).

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.

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.

While the new union was being established, the official publication of the union, The Record, published its first issue in August 1921. 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.

Merger with Amicus

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.

The TGWU and Amicus proceeded without GMB involvement, On 2 April 2007, The Times reported that the name Unite had been chosen. and that full merger of rule books and governing bodies may soon follow the existing merger of personnel and finance departments.

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.

Affiliations

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.

Officers

General Secretaries

: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 Secretaries

:1974: Harry Urwin

:1980: Alec Kitson

:1986: Bill Morris

:1992: Jack Adams

:1999: Margaret Prosser

:2002: Tony Woodley

:2003: Jack Dromey

Assistant General Secretaries

: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

Amalgamations

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.

Explanatory footnotes

References

Citations

Works cited

External links

The history of the T&G
Catalogue of the TGWU archives, held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick
Catalogue of the TGWU West Midlands Region archives, held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick
Catalogue of the TGWU Coventry District archives, held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick
T&GWU website archived on 30 April 2007