Manufacturing, Science and Finance

Manufacturing, Science and Finance (or the Manufacturing, Science and Finance Union; almost exclusively known as MSF) was a trade union in Britain. Over eighty members of Parliament (primarily members of the Labour Party) were members.

MSF

Full name	Manufacturing, Science and Finance
Founded	1988
Date dissolved	2001
Merged into	Amicus
Members	604,000 (1991)
Affiliation	TUC, CSEU
Key people	Clive Jenkins, Ken Gill, Roger Lyons
Country	United Kingdom

History

The MSF was the result of a merger in January 1988 between the Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs (ASTMS) and the Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section (TASS). In 1991, it had 604,000 members, but this fell to 446,000 in 1996, the most rapid decline of any major British union.[1]

In 2001 the MSF merged with the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union to form Amicus. The General Secretary of MSF from 1992 until the merger with Amicus was Roger Lyons, who continued as Joint General Secretary of Amicus's MSF section. In 2007 Amicus merged with the TGWU to form Unite.

Amalgamations

Several unions amalgamated with the MSF:

• 1988: Church of England Children's Society Staff Association, Imperial Supervisors' Association, United Friendly Field Management Staff Association[2]
• 1989: Imperial Group Staff Association[2]
• 1990: Health Visitors' Association[2]
• 1991: Australian Mutual Provident Society[2]
• 1993: Hospital Physicists Association, National Union of Scalemakers[3][4]
• 1994: Ceron Research Staff Association[4]
• 1997: College of Health Care Chaplains[4]
• 1998: Communication Managers' Association[4]
• 1999: Britannic Supervisory Union, Corporation of London Staff Association, National Union of Insurance Workers, Neilson Staff Association[3][4]
• 2000: Lloyds Registry Staff Association, Union of Textile Workers[4][5]
• 2001: Leicester Housing Association Staff Association

Leadership

General Secretaries

1988: Clive Jenkins and Ken Gill

1988: Ken Gill

1992: Roger Lyons

Assistant General Secretaries

1988: Roger Lyons and Barbara Switzer

1992: John Chowcat and Barbara Switzer

1997: John Chowcat

1999: Post vacant

References

1. David Needle, Business in Context: An Introduction to Business and Its Environment, p.139
2. Gary N. Chaison, Union Mergers in Hard Times: The View from Five Countries, pp.175-184
3. "The British merger movement", Industrial Relations Journal, Vol.30, No.5
4. John B. Smethurst and Peter Carter, Historical Directory of Trade Unions, vol.6, p.199
5. Peter Carter and John B. Smethurst, Historical Directory of Trade Unions: Volume 6, p.116

External links

• Catalogue of the MSF archives, held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick