Leonard Firby Edmondson (16 December 1912 – 20 November 2006) 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 unionist A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

. Born in

Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...

, Edmondson was educated at Gateshead Central School, leaving at the age of fifteen. After two years of unemployment and short-term work, he completed an apprenticeship as a fitter with the Concrete Liner Company. He joined the

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

(AEU) and worked for a large number of businesses around the Tyne, generally acting as a

shop steward A union representative, union steward, or shop steward is an employee of an organization or company who represents and defends the interests of their fellow employees as a trades/labour union member and official. Rank-and-file members of the un ...

. He was considered a highly skilled negotiator, who persuaded companies to introduce apprenticeships for machinists, and limit overtime.The death of: Len Edmondson
, '' The Journal'', 5 December 2006 In 1934, Edmondson joined the

National Unemployed Workers Movement The National Unemployed Workers' Movement was a British organisation set up in 1921 by members of the Communist Party of Great Britain. It aimed at drawing attention to the plight of unemployed workers during the post-First World War slump, the ...

and, through this, joined the

Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberal Party (UK), Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse work ...

(ILP), remaining a member until the late 1940s, and identifying as being on the left-wing of the trade union movement. He campaigned in support of the Republicans during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

, and for maintenance of working conditions during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 1943, he was elected to the union's Tyneside District Committee, and in 1953 he became the full-time district secretary.Edmondson, Leonard Firby
, ''

Who Was Who ''Who's Who'' is a reference work. It has been published annually in the form of a hardback book since 1849, and has been published online since 1999. It has also been published on CD-ROM. It lists, and gives information on, people from around ...

'' In 1966, Edmondson was elected to the Executive Council (EC) of the AEU, and to the Executive Council 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 ...

(CSEU). By this time, he took an intermediate position between the hard left and hard right groups at the head of the AEU, and his re-election to the EC in 1969 was reported as the victory for a ‘middle-of the road’ man. When he stood for the Presidency of the Union in 1967, Edmondson was "the dark horse in the election... a bachelor and a quiet, deep-thinking man... renowned for his complete respect for rules and procedure - in everything he does, the rule book governs'. In the election, Edmondson won 7,865 votes (7.6%), coming fourth in the first ballot. On some key issues, Edmondson supported

Hugh Scanlon Hugh Parr Scanlon, Baron Scanlon (26 October 1913 – 27 January 2004) was a British trade union leader. Scanlon was born in Melbourne, to parents who had emigrated from Britain. His mother brought him back from Australia to the UK when he ...

and the left, rather than the hard right on the Executive Council. In 1968, he voted with the left to oppose TUC General Secretary

George Woodcock George Woodcock (May 8, 1912 – January 28, 1995) was a Canadian writer of political biography and history, an anarchist thinker, a philosopher, an essayist and literary critic. He was also a poet and published several volumes of travel wri ...

’s wage restraint policy – while only John Boyd (trade unionist) and Bill John supported Woodcock’s plan on the Executive. In May 1974, when the union’s funds were sequestrated over the Con-Mech dispute, Edmondson voted with the left to support the motion, ‘The Executive Council instructs all members of the engineering section without exception to withdraw their labour forthwith’. Scanlon's casting vote was in favour of the all-out national strike, which lasted from late on Tuesday 7 May until the afternoon of Wednesday 8 May.''Daily Mirror'', 9 May 1974; John Deason, ‘The Broad Left in the AUEW’, ''International Socialism'', No.79, June 1975. https://www.marxists.org/history/etol/newspape/isj/1975/no079/deason2.htm Accessed 25/05/2025. Edmondson was president of the CSEU in 1976/77. He was also 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 Trades Union Congresses (TUC). Organisation The council has 56 members, all of whom must be proposed ...

in 1970, serving for eight years. In addition, he served on the Shipbuilding Industry Training Board, the council of

Acas The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) is a non-departmental public body of the Her Majesty's Government, Government of the United Kingdom. Its purpose is to improve organisations and working life through the promotion and fa ...

, the Royal Commission on Legal Services, Council on Tribunals, Gypsy Council, and Committee of Inquiry into Prison Services. Edmondson retired from his union work in 1977, and from his remaining roles by 1984, spending his retirement breeding and showing

Shetland Sheepdog The Shetland Sheepdog, also known as the Sheltie, is a breed of herding dog that originated in the Shetland Islands of Scotland. It was formally recognized by the Kennel Club in 1909. It was originally called the ''Shetland Collie'', but this c ...

s, and enjoyed attending the

Appleby Horse Fair The Appleby Horse Fair, previously known as Appleby New Fair, is an annual gathering of Romani people (''Gypsies'') and Travellers in Appleby-in-Westmorland in Cumbria, England. The horse fair is held each year in early June, attracting rough ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edmondson, Len 1912 births 2006 deaths Trade unionists from Tyne and Wear Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress People from Gateshead