Electrical Trades Union (United Kingdom)

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.

Electrical Trades Union
Founded1889
Date dissolvedJuly 1968
Merged intoEETPU
AffiliationTUC, ITUC, CSEU, Labour
Office locationManchester, England
CountryUnited Kingdom

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. Francis Sims was elected as a full-time general secretary, in a final attempt to turn its fortunes around. He undertook a tour of the UK, attempting to form new branches and strengthen existing ones. While this produced mixed results, membership began to recover, and a successful strike in Bolton in 1899, and an agreement signed with Sheffield Town Council in 1900 further improved his reputation. However, the following year, he too was found to have embezzled union funds, leading to his imprisonment for six months. On release, he tried to set up a breakaway union, the Electrical Wiremen's Union, but this failed to grow and was disbanded in 1903.[2]

Alfred Ewer was elected as Sims' replacement, and the union joined the Federation of Engineering and Shipbuilding Trades in 1906.[1] Ewer's time in office was marked by conflict between the London-based executive and the provincial branches, culminating in a vote in 1907 to move the head office to Manchester. He disappeared in May 1907, and was later found to have emigrated to Australia without informing his wife or friends, having stolen £144 of union funds.[2]

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 Amalgamated Engineering Union, but this was not approved.[3] The early 1920s proved a difficult time for the union, and Rowan negotiated a merger with the Transport and General Workers' Union, but this too was rejected by the membership.[2] Walter Citrine was appointed as an assistant general secretary of the union in 1920, and transformed its finances, making the reputation which led to his later appointment as General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress.[1]

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]

In June 1961, the ETU was taken to court for "conspiracy to defraud" by the union leadership.

After its leader Jock Byrne suffered a stroke, Frank Chapple became the union's leader in 1966. Unusually for a union leader at the time, Chapple espoused free-market thinking, and he aimed to rid his union of communists; his former union - the ETU had been run by communists. He was a "reluctant loyalist" to the Labour Party. The union went on to advocate nuclear power, privatisation of state-owned industries and membership of the European Union.

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.

ElectionConstituencyCandidateVotesPercentagePosition
1945 general electionDundeeThomas Cook48,80428.61[4]
1950 general electionDundee EastThomas Cook26,00553.31[5]
Heywood and RoytonCharles Hurley21,48240.22[5]
1951 general electionCheltenhamJames Finnigan17,77742.92[6]
Dundee EastThomas Cook26,66853.81[6]
Heywood and RoytonCharles Hurley24,08346.12[6]
1955 by-electionEdinburgh NorthGeorge Scott7,79940.62
1955 general electionCheltenhamJames Finnigan16,63840.72[7]
Edinburgh NorthGeorge Scott12,66438.32[7]
1959 general electionBridgwaterJames Finnigan14,70632.32[8]
Croydon North WestDavid Chalkley14,65832.02[8]
East AberdeenshireJohn Urquhart10,98036.62[8]
Liverpool WaltonGeorge McCartney20,25445.52[8]
1964 general electionBrentford and ChiswickDavid Chalkley13,47544.32[9]
Caithness and SutherlandJohn Urquhart6,61930.22[9]
CarltonRobert Mellor21,54636.22[9]
NewburyDavid Stoddart18,94334.42[9]
WakefieldWalter Harrison26,31555.51[9]
1966 general electionStroudTom Cox20,25940.12[10]
WakefieldWalter Harrison28,90765.41[10]

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
  1. Arthur Marsh and Victoria Ryan, Historical Directory of British Trade Unions, vol.2, pp.33-34
  2. Lloyd, John (1990). Light & liberty : a history of the EETPU. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. ISBN 0-297-79662-3.
  3. Jefferys, James B. (1970). The Story of the Engineers. Edinburgh: Reprints in Social and Economic History. p. 193.
  4. Labour Party, Report of the Forty-Fifth Annual Conference of the Labour Party, pp.232-248
  5. "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.
  6. Labour Party, Report of the Fiftieth Annual Conference of the Labour Party, pp.184-203
  7. Labour Party, Report of the Fifty-Fourth Annual Conference of the Labour Party, pp.255-275
  8. Labour Party, Report of the Fifty-Eighth Annual Conference of the Labour Party, pp.179-201
  9. Labour Party, Report of the Sixty-Third Annual Conference of the Labour Party, pp.158-180
  10. Labour Party, Report of the Sixty-Fifth Annual Conference of the Labour Party, pp.308-330
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