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 of the
Postmen's Federation
The Postmen's Federation was a trade union representing postal workers in the United Kingdom.
In 1889, a "Postmen's Union" was founded in Clerkenwell by Tom Dredge and John Lincoln Mahon. This dissolved after many of its members were sacked, ...
,
Postal and Telegraph Clerks' Association and the
Fawcett Association. It achieved official recognition, and as a result, in 1920 the
London Postal Porters' Association,
Central London Postmen's Association
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known ...
,
Tracers' Association,
Tube Staff Association
Tube or tubes may refer to:
* ''Tube'' (2003 film), a 2003 Korean film
* ''The Tube'' (TV series), a music related TV series by Channel 4 in the United Kingdom
* "Tubes" (Peter Dale), performer on the Soccer AM television show
* Tube (band), ...
,
Messengers' Association and
Sorters' Association all merged with it.
[Arthur Ivor Marsh, ''Trade Union Handbook'', p. 401.] It was banned legally from
TUC membership from 1927 to 1946. Its longest strike was for 7 weeks in 1971.
It changed its name in 1980, and merged with the
National Communications Union in 1995 to form the
Communication Workers' Union.
Election results
The union sponsored
Labour Party candidates in each Parliamentary election. From 1927 until the end of
World War II, the union was legally barred from affiliating to the party, so its candidates in that period are omitted from many sources.
Leadership
General Secretaries
:1919:
William Bowen
:1936:
T. J. Hodgson
:1944:
Charles Geddes
Charles John Geddes, Baron Geddes of Epsom, CBE Kt. (1 March 1897 – 2 May 1983) was a British trade unionist.
Born in Camberwell, London, his parents were active socialists in the Labour movement at a time that the Labour party was bein ...
:1956:
Ron Smith
:1967:
Thomas Jackson
:1982:
Alan Tuffin
:1992:
Alan Johnson
Deputy General Secretaries
:1919:
Walter Baker
:1931: James Paterson
:1941:
Charles Geddes
Charles John Geddes, Baron Geddes of Epsom, CBE Kt. (1 March 1897 – 2 May 1983) was a British trade unionist.
Born in Camberwell, London, his parents were active socialists in the Labour movement at a time that the Labour party was bein ...
:1944: G. A. Stevens
:1951: Richard Hayward
:1956: L. V. Andrews
:1967: Norman Stagg
:1980:
Alan Tuffin
:1982:
Tony Clarke
:1993:
Derek Hodgson
Treasurers
:1919:
Will Lockyer
:1935: W. T. Leicester
:1947: A. H. Wood
:1953:
Ron Smith
:1956: E. R. Mercer
:1962: Fred Moss
:1981: Fred Binks
:1988: Derek Walsh
See also
*
Edgar Hardcastle
References
External links
Catalogue of the UCW archives held at the
Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick
The Modern Records Centre (MRC) is the specialist archive service of the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, located adjacent to the Central Campus Library. It was established in October 1973 and holds the world's largest archive collecti ...
Trade unions established in 1919
Trade unions disestablished in 1995
Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom
Communications trade unions
1919 establishments in the United Kingdom
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