Union of Communication Workers
Merged intoCommunication Workers' Union
Founded1 January 1920
Dissolved1995
HeadquartersUCW House, Crescent Lane, Clapham
Location
Members
203,000 (1990)[1]
PublicationThe Post[2]
AffiliationsTUC, Labour, PTTI

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, 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, Tracers' Association, Tube Staff Association, Messengers' Association and Sorters' Association all merged with it.[3] It was banned legally from TUC membership from 1927 to 1946.[4] 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.[3]

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.[5][6]

Election Constituency Candidate Votes Percentage Position
1922 general election Bury Harry Wallace 9,643 36.7 2
Camberwell North Charles Ammon 8,320 50.8 1
Carlisle George Middleton 7,870 37.6 1
Harborough Walter Baker 6,205 28.2 3
Newport (Monmouthshire) John William Bowen 16,000 45.7 2
Stockton-on-Tees Frederick Fox Riley 11,183 34.3 2
1923 general election Bristol East Walter Baker 14,824 53.7 1
Bury Harry Wallace 9,568 36.1 2
Camberwell North Charles Ammon 10,620 64.2 1
Carlisle George Middleton 9,120 40.5 1
Newport John William Bowen 14,100 38.6 2
Stockton-on-Tees Frederick Fox Riley 10,619 31.2 3
1924 general election Bristol East Walter Baker 16,920 58.2 1
Bury Harry Wallace 10,286 36.1 2
Camberwell North Charles Ammon 11,300 54.9 1
Carlisle George Middleton 10,676 45.5 2
Newport John William Bowen 18,263 47.2 2
Stockton-on-Tees Frederick Fox Riley 11,948 33.1 2
1929 general election Bristol East Walter Baker 24,197 65.8 1
Camberwell North Charles Ammon 13,051 57.9 1
Carlisle George Middleton 12,779 40.4 1
Crewe John William Bowen 20,948 50.2 1
Stockton-on-Tees Frederick Fox Riley 18,961 41.2 1
Walthamstow East Harry Wallace 11,039 39.6 1
1931 general election Camberwell North Charles Ammon 9,869 48.1 2
Carlisle George Middleton 13,445 42.7 2
Crewe John William Bowen 18,351 42.2 2
Stockton-on-Tees Frederick Fox Riley 18,168 38.4 2
Walthamstow East Harry Wallace 9,983 31.2 2
1935 general election Camberwell North Charles Ammon 11,701 64.7 1
Crewe John William Bowen 20,620 48.7 2
Walthamstow East Harry Wallace 14,378 46.0 2
1945 general election Clitheroe Harry Randall 19,443 53.7 1
Heston and Isleworth William Williams 29,192 54.3 1
Walthamstow East Harry Wallace 15,650 51.1 1
1950 general election Clitheroe Harry Randall 18,359 43.8 2
Heston and Isleworth William Williams 29,013 43.6 2
Walthamstow East Harry Wallace 18,478 47.0 1
1951 general election Droylsden William Williams 26,829 51.8 1
Dumfriesshire George Douglas 16,669 38.7 2
Mitcham Harry Randall 28,187 45.3 2
Walthamstow East Harry Wallace 19,036 47.5 1
1955 general election Manchester Openshaw William Williams 24,638 59.7 1
Walthamstow East Harry Wallace 15,744 43.1 2
1955 by-election Gateshead West Harry Randall 13,196 66.5 1
1959 general election Manchester Openshaw William Williams 24,975 60.2 1
Gateshead West Harry Randall 21,277 64.9 1
1963 by-election Manchester Openshaw Charles Morris 16,101 65.9 1
1964 general election Bristol North East Raymond Dobson 21,212 44.2 2
Gateshead West Harry Randall 21,390 69.0 1
Manchester Openshaw Charles Morris 22,589 59.6 1
1966 general election Brighton Kemptown Dennis Hobden 24,936 50.8 1
Bristol North East Raymond Dobson 25,699 54.2 1
Gateshead West Harry Randall 20,381 74.8 1
Manchester Openshaw Charles Morris 22,103 64.9 1
1970 general election Brighton Kemptown Dennis Hobden 21,105 42.9 2
Bristol North East Raymond Dobson 22,792 49.5 2
Manchester Openshaw Charles Morris 19,397 60.2 1
1971 by-election Stirling and Falkirk Harry Ewing 17,536 46.5 1
Feb 1974 general election Brighton Kemptown Dennis Hobden 19,484 38.1 2
Hampstead Tony Clarke 17,279 38.3 2
Manchester Openshaw Charles Morris 16,478 53.5 1
Stirling, Falkirk and Grangemouth Harry Ewing 21,685 41.9 1
Western Isles Andrew Wilson 2,879 19.2 2
Oct 1974 general election Brighton Kemptown Dennis Hobden 19,060 40.3 2
Hampstead Tony Clarke 16,414 40.6 2
Manchester Openshaw Charles Morris 16,109 57.6 1
Stirling, Falkirk and Grangemouth Harry Ewing 22,090 43.3 1
1979 general election Manchester Openshaw Charles Morris 17,099 62.1 1
Stirling, Falkirk and Grangemouth Harry Ewing 29,499 56.5 1
1983 general election Falkirk East Harry Ewing 17,956 47.7 1
1987 general election Falkirk East Harry Ewing 21,379 54.2 1
1992 general election Falkirk East Michael Connarty 18,423 46.1 1

Leadership

General Secretaries

1919: William Bowen[7]
1936: T. J. Hodgson[7]
1944: Charles Geddes[7]
1956: Ron Smith[7]
1967: Thomas Jackson[7]
1982: Alan Tuffin[7]
1992: Alan Johnson[7]

Deputy General Secretaries

1919: Walter Baker[7]
1931: James Paterson[7]
1941: Charles Geddes[7]
1944: G. A. Stevens[7]
1951: Richard Hayward[7]
1956: L. V. Andrews[7]
1967: Norman Stagg[7]
1980: Alan Tuffin[7]
1982: Tony Clarke[7]
1993: Derek Hodgson[7]

Treasurers

1919: Will Lockyer[7]
1935: W. T. Leicester[7]
1947: A. H. Wood[7]
1953: Ron Smith[7]
1956: E. R. Mercer[7]
1962: Fred Moss[7]
1981: Fred Binks[7]
1988: Derek Walsh[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ David Farnham, Employee Relations in Context, p. 268.
  2. ^ Marsh, Arthur (1984). Trade Union Handbook (3 ed.). Aldershot: Gower. pp. 167–168. ISBN 0566024268.
  3. ^ a b Arthur Ivor Marsh, Trade Union Handbook, p. 401.
  4. ^ David Butler; Gareth Butler (1986). British political facts, 1900-1985. Macmillan. p. 366. ISBN 978-0-333-39948-4.
  5. ^ Clinton, Alan (1984). Post Office Workers: A Trade Union and Social History. London: George Allen and Unwin. pp. 672–676. ISBN 9780043310861.
  6. ^ Parker, James (2017). Trade unions and the political culture of the Labour Party, 1931-1940 (PDF). Exeter: University of Exeter.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Clinton, Alan (1984). Post Office Workers. George Allen and Unwin. p. 664. ISBN 0043310869.

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