Sydney Allen Robinson (13 August 1905 – 10 April 1978) 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 ...

. Robinson grew up in

Clophill Clophill is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish nucleated village, clustered on the north bank of the River Flit, Bedfordshire, England. It is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Clopelle''. "Clop" likely means 'tree-st ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

before becoming a shoemaker. He joined the

National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives The National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives (NUBSO) was a trade union in the United Kingdom which existed between 1873 and 1971. It represented workers in the footwear industry. History The union was founded in 1873, when many riveters and ...

(NUBSO), and became a full-time officer in 1939, national organizer in 1947, and Assistant General Secretary in 1949.Robinson, Sydney Allen
, ''

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'' In 1957, Robinson was elected as General President of NUBSO, and he won a place on 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 ...

(TUC) two years later. In 1966, he was appointed to the

Monopolies and Mergers Commission The Competition Commission was a non-departmental public body responsible for investigating mergers, markets and other enquiries related to regulated industries under UK competition law, competition law in the United Kingdom. It was a competiti ...

, and this became his main focus after his retirement from his trade union posts in 1970. In 1972, he was also appointed to the TUC- CBI Conciliation Panel, and he remained active until his death in 1978 at the age of 72.Stephen Wilks, ''In the Public Interest: Competition Policy and the Monopolies and Mergers Commission'', p.95

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Sydney 1905 births 1978 deaths General presidents of the National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress British shoemakers Trade unionists from Northamptonshire