Robert Baxter Garland (21 March 1920 – 2004)''England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007'' was a Scottish

trade unionist 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 ( ...

. Born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

, Garland completed an apprenticeship as an iron moulder, and became an activist in the

Amalgamated Union of Foundry Workers __NOTOC__ The Amalgamated Union of Foundry Workers (AUFW) was a trade union representing workers in foundries in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in 1946 with the merger of the National Union of Foundry Workers, the Ironfounding Worke ...

(AUFW). He took evening classes with the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

before winning a

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in England and Wales, representing the majority of trade unions. There are 48 affiliated unions, with a total of about 5.5 million members. Frances O ...

scholarship to attend the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 mill ...

."R. Garland", ''Foundry Trade Journal'', vol.139, p.631 After completing a degree, Garland returned to moulding, now with

Harland & Wolff Harland & Wolff is a British shipbuilding company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It specialises in ship repair, shipbuilding and offshore construction. Harland & Wolff is famous for having built the majority of the ocean liners for the ...

Govan Govan ( ; Cumbric?: ''Gwovan'?''; Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of south-west City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south b ...

, where he soon became the works

convener The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the group ...

. He ran for the general secretaryship of the union in 1954 on an

anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when the United States and th ...

platform, but was narrowly defeated, taking 17,694 votes to incumbent Jim Gardner's 18,546. He was elected as the union's full-time national organiser in 1956, but his opponent, F. Bullock, had the vote annulled by the courts on account of outside interference. The vote was re-run, and Garland won again, taking up the position in 1957. Garland stood again for the general secretaryship in 1961, but lost to David Lambert by a 4,000-vote margin. In 1962, he was sentenced to three months in prison for driving while intoxicated, but this was commuted to a £100 fine after

Jim Callaghan Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, ( ; 27 March 191226 March 2005), commonly known as Jim Callaghan, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980. Callaghan is ...

argued that he was the best-placed person to advise the Somali government on trade unionism. In 1967, the AUFW merged with the

Amalgamated Engineering Union The Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU) was a major British trade union. It merged with the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union to form the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union in 1992. History The history of ...

to form the "Amalgamated Union of Engineering and Foundry Workers", soon renamed that

Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers The Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU) was a major British trade union. It merged with the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union to form the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union in 1992. History The history of ...

. A distinct Foundry Section was created, with William Simpson, former general secretary of the AUFW, continuing as general secretary of the Foundry Section.Chris Cook, ''The Routledge Guide to British Political Archives: Sources since 1945'', pp.223-224 Garland was elected to the section's executive council in 1968, and as president in 1970. Simpson resigned in 1974 to become chairman of the

Health and Safety Commission The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) was a United Kingdom non-departmental public body. The HSC was created by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSWA). It was formally established on 31 July 1974. The Commission consisted of a chair ...

, and Garland was elected to fill his post, beating a single opponent by 19,000 votes to 12,000, and taking office on 30 December. In 1982, he was made an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

. He was elected to the

General Council of the Trades Union Congress The General Council of the Trades Union Congress is an elected body which is responsible for carrying out the policies agreed at the annual British Trade Union Congresses (TUC). Organisation The council has 56 members, all of whom must be proposed ...

in 1983, but lost his seat the following year. He also served on the executive of the

Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions The Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions (CSEU), often known as the Confed is a trade union confederation in the United Kingdom. History The confederation was founded in December 1890 as the Federation of Engineering and Shipbuil ...

. In 1984, the Foundry, Construction and Engineering Sections of the union amalgamated under the leadership of a single general secretary, Garland becoming national secretary of a newly-subordinate foundry section. He retired the following year"AUEW vote backs political fund", ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'', 7 August 1985 and died in

Blackpool, Lancashire Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and is ...

, in 2004.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garland, Bob 1920 births 2004 deaths Alumni of the London School of Economics General Secretaries of the Amalgamated Engineering Union Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress Trade unionists from Glasgow Scottish trade unionists