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The president of the Trades Union Congress is a prominent but largely honorary position in British trade unionism .
Initially, the post of president was elected at the annual Trades Union Congress (TUC) itself, and would serve just for the duration of the congress. Early standing orders stated that preference had to be given to a candidate from the city where the congress was being held; they were not necessarily well-known figures.[ 1]
In 1900, the standing orders were changed to state that the presidency would be filled by the person who had chaired the Parliamentary Committee over the previous year. As a result, before 1900, numerous people served as Chair of the Parliamentary Committee without becoming President; after this date, Presidents were prominent figures in the national trade union movement.[ 2] The Parliamentary Committee was replaced by the General Council in 1921, and the system continued.
There were still rare occasions where the Chair did not become President. Margaret Bondfield , who was elected as Chair in 1923, resigned to accept a government post before becoming President.[ 3] George Isaacs , who was elected as Chair in 1944, similarly resigned to accept a government post, and was replaced by the vice-president, Ebby Edwards , who had presided over the previous year's congress.[ 4]
In recent years, the president has once more been elected at the annual congress, but now officially fills the office for the remainder of the year and then presides over the following year's conference (in the years listed below).
George Potter, President in 1871
Edwin Coulson, President in 1881
Presidents from 1900 [ edit ]
Will Thorne, President in 1912
Jimmy Thomas, President in 1920
Ben Turner, President in 1928
Fred Jarvis, President in 1987
Rodney Bickerstaffe, President in 1992
Margaret Prosser, President in 1996
Mary Bousted, President in 2013
Year
Name
Union
1900
William Pickles
National Amalgamated Society of House and Ship Painters
1901
C. W. Bowerman
London Society of Compositors
1902
W. C. Steadman
River Thames Barge Builders Trades Union
1903
W. Boyd Hornidge
National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives
1904
Richard Bell
Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants
1905
James Sexton
National Union of Dock Labourers
1906
D. C. Cummings
United Society of Boilermakers
1907
Alfred Gill
Bolton Cotton Spinners Association
1908
David Shackleton
Northern Counties Amalgamated Association of Weavers
1909
David Shackleton
Northern Counties Amalgamated Association of Weavers
1910
James Haslam
Miners Federation of Great Britain
1911
William Mullin
Amalgamated Association of Card and Blowing Room Operatives
1912
Will Thorne
National Union of Gas Workers and General Labourers
1913
William John Davis
Amalgamated Society of Brassworkers
1915
James Seddon
National Amalgamated Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks
1916
Harry Gosling
National Transport Workers Federation
1917
John Hill
United Society of Boilermakers
1918
John William Ogden
Northern Counties Amalgamated Association of Weavers
1919
G. H. Stuart-Bunning
Postmen's Federation
1920
Jimmy Thomas
National Union of Railwaymen
1921
Edward L. Poulton
National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives
1922
Robert Barrie Walker
National Union of Agricultural Workers
1923
Joe Williams
Musicians Union
1924
Alf Purcell
National Amalgamated Furnishing Trades Association
1925
Alonzo Swales
Amalgamated Engineering Union
1926
Arthur Pugh
Iron and Steel Trades Confederation
1927
George Hicks
Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers
1928
Ben Turner
National Union of Textile Workers
1929
Ben Tillett
Transport and General Workers Union
1930
John Beard
Transport and General Workers Union
1931
Arthur Hayday
National Union of General and Municipal Workers
1932
John Bromley
Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen
1933
Alexander Walkden
Railway Clerks' Association
1934
Andrew Conley
National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers
1935
William Kean
National Union of Gold, Silver and Allied Trades
1936
Alan Findlay
United Patternmakers Association
1937
Ernest Bevin
Transport and General Workers Union
1938
Herbert Henry Elvin
National Union of Clerks and Administrative Workers
1939
Joseph Hallsworth
National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers
1940
Bill Holmes
National Union of Agricultural Workers
1941
George Gibson
Mental Hospital and Institutional Workers Union
1942
Frank Wolstencroft
Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers
1943
Anne Loughlin
National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers
1944
Ebby Edwards
Miners Federation of Great Britain
1945
Ebby Edwards
National Union of Mineworkers
1946
Charles Dukes
National Union of General and Municipal Workers
1947
George Walker Thomson
Association of Engineering and Shipbuilding Draughtsmen
1948
Florence Hancock
Transport and General Workers Union
1949
Will Lawther
National Union of Mineworkers
1950
Herbert Bullock
National Union of General and Municipal Workers
1951
Alfred Roberts
National Association of Card, Blowing and Ring Room Operatives
1952
Arthur Deakin
Transport and General Workers Union
1953
Tom O'Brien
National Association of Theatrical and Kine Employees
1954
Jack Tanner
Amalgamated Engineering Union
1955
Charles Geddes
Union of Post Office Workers
1956
Wilfred Beard
United Patternmakers Association
1957
Tom Williamson
National Union of General and Municipal Workers
1958
Tom Yates
National Union of Seamen
1959
Robert Willis
London Typographical Society
1960
Claude Bartlett
Confederation Of Health Service Employees
1961
Ted Hill
United Society of Boilermakers
1962
Anne Godwin
Clerical and Administrative Workers Union
1963
Frederick Hayday
National Union of General and Municipal Workers
1964
George H. Lowthian
Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers
1965
Harold Collison
National Union of Agricultural Workers
1966
Joseph O'Hagan
National Union of Blastfurnacemen, Ore Miners, Coke Workers and Kindred Trades
1967
Harry Douglass
Iron and Steel Trades Confederation
1968
Lewis Wright
Amalgamated Weavers' Association
1969
John E. Newton
National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers
1970
Sidney Greene
National Union of Railwaymen
1971
Jack Cooper
National Union of General and Municipal Workers
1972
George Smith
Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians
1973
Joseph Crawford
National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shotfirers
1974
Alfred Allen
Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
1975
Marie Patterson
Transport and General Workers Union
1976
Cyril Plant
Inland Revenue Staff Federation
1977
Danny McGarvey [ 5]
Amalgamated Society of Boilermakers, Shipwrights, Blacksmiths and Structural Workers
1977
Marie Patterson
Transport and General Workers Union
1978
David Basnett
National Union of General and Municipal Workers
1979
Thomas Jackson
Union of Post Office Workers
1980
Terry Parry
Fire Brigades Union
1981
Alan Fisher
National Union of Public Employees
1982
Alan Sapper
Association of Cinematograph Television and Allied Technicians
1983
Frank Chapple
Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union
1984
Ray Buckton
Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen
1985
Jack Eccles
General, Municipal, Boilermakers and Allied Trade Union
1986
Ken Gill
Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section
1987
Fred Jarvis
National Union of Teachers
1988
Clive Jenkins
Manufacturing, Science and Finance
1989
Tony Christopher
Inland Revenue Staff Federation
1990
Ada Maddocks
National and Local Government Officers Association
1991
Alec Smith
GMB Union
1992
Rodney Bickerstaffe
National Union of Public Employees
1993
Alan Tuffin
Union of Communication Workers
1994
Jimmy Knapp
National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers
1995
Leif Mills
Banking, Insurance and Finance Union
1996
Margaret Prosser
Transport and General Workers Union
1997
Tony Dubbins
Graphical, Paper and Media Union
1998
John Edmonds
GMB Union
1999
Hector Mackenzie
Unison
2000
Rita Donaghy
Unison
2001
Bill Morris
Transport and General Workers Union
2002
Tony Young
Communication Workers Union
2003
Nigel de Gruchy
National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers
2004
Roger Lyons
Amicus
2005
Jeannie Drake
Communication Workers Union
2006
Gloria Mills
Unison
2007
Alison Shepherd
Unison
2008
Dave Prentis
Unison
2009
Sheila Bearcroft
GMB Union
2010
Dougie Rooney
Unite
2011
Michael Leahy
Community
2012
Paul Kenny
GMB Union
2013
Lesley Mercer
Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
2014
Mohammad Taj
Unite
2015
Leslie Manasseh
Prospect
2016
Liz Snape
Unison
2017
Mary Bousted
Association of Teachers and Lecturers
2018
Sally Hunt
University and College Union
2019
Mark Serwotka
Public and Commercial Services Union
2020
Ged Nichols
Accord
2021
Gail Cartmail
Unite
2022
Sue Ferns
Prospect
2023
Maria Exall
Communication Workers' Union
2024
Matt Wrack
Fire Brigades Union
^ Trades Union Congress , Annual Report of the 1874 Trades Union Congress
^ Trades Union Congress , Annual Report of the 1900 Trades Union Congress , pp.94-95
^ Daniel Fairchild Calhoun, The United Front!: The TUC and the Russians, 1923-1928 , p.46
^ Trades Union Congress , Annual Report of the 1945 Trades Union Congress , p.23
^ John Kerr, "Sir Daniel McGarvey - 'boots' to union boss", The Guardian , 27 April 1977, p.3: McGarvey died in office