Transport and General Workers' Union
 |
|
| Full name | Transport and General Workers' Union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1922 |
| Date dissolved | 1 May 2007 |
| Merged into | Unite |
| Members | 800,000 (2006) |
| Affiliation | TUC, ICTU, STUC, ITF, IUF |
| Key people | Tony Woodley, general secretary |
| Office location | London, England |
| Country | United Kingdom, Ireland |
| Website | www.tgwu.org.uk |
The Transport and General Workers' Union, also known as the TGWU and the 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) to differentiate itself from the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union - with 900,000 members (and was once the largest trade union in the world). It was founded in 1922, and its first general secretary was Ernest Bevin.
In 2007, it merged with Amicus to form Unite the Union.
At the time of its creation in 1922, the TGWU was the largest and most ambitious amalgamation brought about within trade unionism. Its 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. The amalgamating unions were:
Docks Group
Waterways Group
Administrative, Clerical and Supervisory Group 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
Passenger Services and Road Transport (Commercial) Groups
The Scottish Union of Dock Labourers and National Union of Dock, Riverside and General Workers in Great Britain and Ireland initially voted not to amalgamate, but joined before the end of 1922 nonetheless. The Greenock Sugar Porters' Union, Dundee Flax and Jute Stowers' Society, National Union of British Fishermen, and Belfast Breadservers' Association had also joined before the end of the year.
...
Wikipedia