Thomas Jackson (9 April 1925 – 6 June 2003) was a British
trade union
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...
ist and is best remembered as the
General Secretary of the
Union of Post Office Workers
The Union of Communication Workers (UCW) was a trade union in the United Kingdom for workers in the post office and telecommunications industries.
History
The union was founded in 1919 as the Union of Post Office Workers (UPW) by the merger ...
who led 200,000 members into a
47-day strike in 1971, the first national postal strike.
Jackson was born in
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
,
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
. Aged 14 he began work for the GPO as a telegraph boy. He spent three years (1943–46) on
wartime service in the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
. Upon his return, he became a postman, and later a sorter, during which time he became involved in the affairs of the
Union of Post Office Workers
The Union of Communication Workers (UCW) was a trade union in the United Kingdom for workers in the post office and telecommunications industries.
History
The union was founded in 1919 as the Union of Post Office Workers (UPW) by the merger ...
. He became a member of its executive council in 1955 and in 1964, was elected national officer. In 1967, he became General Secretary, a role he held until 1982. He was instantly recognizable to the public for his luxuriant
handlebar moustache
A handlebar moustache is a moustache with particularly lengthy and upwardly curved extremities. These moustache styles are named for their resemblance to the handlebars of a bicycle. It is also known as a spaghetti moustache, because of its ste ...
.
Other positions held
*Governor,
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
(1984–87)
Jackson married Norma Burrow in 1947 and had one daughter, Kim. In 1982, he divorced Burrow and married Kathleen Tognarelli in the same year, a marriage which produced another daughter.
After retirement from trade union activities, he ran a second-hand book business, specializing in recipe books. He refused honours from
.