Eric Nevin (died 21 August 2009) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

trade union leader. Born in

Waterloo, Merseyside Waterloo is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, in Merseyside, England. Together with Seaforth, the two settlements make up the borough's Church ward. The area is bordered by Crosby to the north, Seaforth to the south, the Rimrose ...

, Nevin studied at

St Mary's College, Crosby St. Mary's College is an independent Roman Catholic coeducational day school in Crosby, Merseyside, about north of Liverpool. It comprises an early years department "Bright Sparks" (age 0-4), preparatory school known as "The Mount" (age 4-11 ...

, on '' HMS Conway'', and at

Liverpool Technical College The College of Technology and Museum Extension on Byrom Street in Liverpool, England, was built between 1896 and 1909, the architect was Edward William Mountford. The building was constructed to provide a new College of Technology and an exten ...

. He served in the Merchant Navy from 1948, and became a

master seaman Master sailor, formerly Master seaman,. (6.81 MB). or ''matelot-chef (matc)'' in French, is a non-commissioned member rank of the Royal Canadian Navy, which is between sailor first class and petty officer 2nd class. Technically, the rank is ac ...

in 1957. Nevin joined the Merchant Navy and Airline Officers' Association (MNAOA) and began working full-time for the union in 1959, initially as an assistant district secretary in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, but two years later he was promoted to become a national secretary. He rose to become assistant general secretary in 1971, and then in 1974 was elected as the union's general secretary. As the leader of the union, Nevin set up the J. W. Slater Memorial Fund, in memory of his predecessor, and he served on a large number of external bodies. From 1985, this included 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 Trades Union Congresses (TUC). Organisation The council has 56 members, all of whom must be proposed ...

. He organised a merger between the MNAOA and two smaller unions, forming the

National Union of Marine, Aviation and Shipping Transport Officers The National Union of Marine, Aviation and Shipping Transport Officers (NUMAST) was a United Kingdom trade union representing seafarers and allied workers that existed between 1985 and 2006. It then changed its name to Nautilus UK and, in 2008, it ...

. Nevin continued as general secretary until his retirement in 1988. He died in 2009, at the age of 78, following a long illness.

References

Year of birth missing 2009 deaths General secretaries of British trade unions Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress People from the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton People educated aboard HMS Conway {{UK-trade-unionist-bio-stub