Electrical Trades Union (United Kingdom)
EETPU | |
Founded | 1889 |
---|---|
Dissolved | July 1968 |
Headquarters | Manchester, England |
Location | |
Affiliations | TUC, ITUC, CSEU, Labour |
The Electrical Trades Union (ETU) was a trade union representing electricians in the United Kingdom, much of its membership consisting of wiring fitters and telephone engineers.
History
Early history
The union was founded in 1889 with the merger of the Union of Electrical Operatives, a London-based union formed in 1868, and the Amalgamated Society of Telegraph and Telephone Construction Men, based in Manchester. Initially, the union had 570 members,[1] most of whom were employees of the National Telephone Company. Its first part-time secretary, elected at the inaugural conference in 1890, was Dick Steadman.[2]
The National Telephone Company's Brighton office was known for poor working conditions and, in 1891, an ETU branch was formed there, led by Alfred Ewer. After failed negotiations, the union began a strike, but this collapsed after five weeks. The remaining strikers were sacked, although the union helped them find them work elsewhere. In response, the union decided to appoint its first full-time general secretary; Arthur Walker was elected unopposed. He raised concerns that the union was unable to meet its commitments to out-of-work benefits to members. The became an immediate problem with a downturn in trade the following year; union membership peaked at 1,183 that year but then began to fall. The executive decided to institute a levy of three pennies per member per week in order to make up a shortfall, but this just led to more members leaving, and membership fell to only 402 in 1894. Walker was forced to resign after stealing union funds, and Steadman replaced him on a temporary basis.[2]
Steadman was unable to solve the union's problems, and membership reached an all-time low of 236 members at the end of 1895.
Growth under Rowan
Jimmy Rowan, the union's national organiser, was elected as Ewer's replacement, and he ultimately served until 1941. He and oversaw rapid growth in the union; from 1,500 members in 1907, it grew to more than 80,000 on his retirement.[2]
In 1918, the union balloted its members on joining the new
Communism and anti-communism
Rowan was known for his anti-communism but, despite this, members of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) became prominent in the union under his leadership; by the 1950s, both General Secretary and General President were CPGB members.[2] The ETU was known to have enjoyed close contacts with the London branch of the Caribbean Labour Congress led by communist activist Billy Strachan.[4]
In June 1961, the ETU was taken to court for "conspiracy to defraud" by the union leadership.
After its leader Jock Byrne suffered a
Merger
In July 1968, the ETU merged with the Plumbing Trades Union to form the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.[1]
Election results
The union sponsored Labour Party candidates in several Parliamentary elections.
Election | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Position |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1945 general election |
Dundee | Thomas Cook | 48,804 | 28.6 | 1[5] |
1950 general election |
Dundee East | Thomas Cook | 26,005 | 53.3 | 1[6] |
Heywood and Royton | Charles Hurley | 21,482 | 40.2 | 2[6] | |
1951 general election |
Cheltenham | James Finnigan | 17,777 | 42.9 | 2[7] |
Dundee East | Thomas Cook | 26,668 | 53.8 | 1[7] | |
Heywood and Royton | Charles Hurley | 24,083 | 46.1 | 2[7] | |
1955 by-election | Edinburgh North | George Scott | 7,799 | 40.6 | 2 |
1955 general election |
Cheltenham | James Finnigan | 16,638 | 40.7 | 2[8] |
Edinburgh North | George Scott | 12,664 | 38.3 | 2[8] | |
1959 general election |
Bridgwater | James Finnigan | 14,706 | 32.3 | 2[9] |
Croydon North West | David Chalkley | 14,658 | 32.0 | 2[9] | |
East Aberdeenshire | John Urquhart | 10,980 | 36.6 | 2[9] | |
Liverpool Walton | George McCartney | 20,254 | 45.5 | 2[9] | |
1964 general election |
Brentford and Chiswick | David Chalkley | 13,475 | 44.3 | 2[10] |
Caithness and Sutherland | John Urquhart | 6,619 | 30.2 | 2[10] | |
Carlton | Robert Mellor | 21,546 | 36.2 | 2[10] | |
Newbury | David Stoddart | 18,943 | 34.4 | 2[10] | |
Wakefield | Walter Harrison | 26,315 | 55.5 | 1[10] | |
1966 general election |
Stroud | Tom Cox | 20,259 | 40.1 | 2[11] |
Wakefield | Walter Harrison | 28,907 | 65.4 | 1[11] |
Office holders
General Secretaries
- 1890: Dick Steadman
- 1891: Arthur Walker
- 1894: Dick Steadman (acting)
- 1895: Francis Sims
- 1900: Alfred Ewer
- 1907: James Rowan
- 1941: Ernest Bussey
- 1948: Walter Stevens
- 1955: Frank Haxell
- 1961: Jock Byrne
- 1966: Frank Chapple
General Presidents
- 1890: Arthur Walker
- 1891: Thomas Cannon
- 1894: G. Montague
- 1896: J. Hart
- 1898: Joe Pearce
- 1899: Bill Gooday
- 1901: Fred O'donoghue
- 1904: Jack Pearce
- 1906: George Dibdin
- 1907: S. Morris
- 1908: Jack Ball
- 1931: Ernest Bussey
- 1941: Hugh Bolton
- 1945: Frank Foulkes
- 1962: Les Cannon
References
- ^ a b c d Arthur Marsh and Victoria Ryan, Historical Directory of British Trade Unions, vol.2, pp.33-34
- ^ ISBN 0-297-79662-3.
- ^ Jefferys, James B. (1970). The Story of the Engineers. Edinburgh: Reprints in Social and Economic History. p. 193.
- ISSN 2055-7035. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
- ^ Labour Party, Report of the Forty-Fifth Annual Conference of the Labour Party, pp.232-248
- ^ a b "List of Parliamentary Labour candidates and election results, February 23rd, 1950". Report of the Forty-Ninth Annual Conference of the Labour Party: 179–198. 1950.
- ^ a b c Labour Party, Report of the Fiftieth Annual Conference of the Labour Party, pp.184-203
- ^ a b Labour Party, Report of the Fifty-Fourth Annual Conference of the Labour Party, pp.255-275
- ^ a b c d Labour Party, Report of the Fifty-Eighth Annual Conference of the Labour Party, pp.179-201
- ^ a b c d e Labour Party, Report of the Sixty-Third Annual Conference of the Labour Party, pp.158-180
- ^ a b Labour Party, Report of the Sixty-Fifth Annual Conference of the Labour Party, pp.308-330