Alf Roberts (trade unionist)

Alfred Roberts (1910 – 19 September 1971) was a British trade unionist.

Born in Manchester, Roberts worked as a coach builder, and joined the National Union of Vehicle Builders (NUVB) in 1925.^[1] He worked for a while in Dublin, during which time he frequently attended the Irish Trades Union Congress and served on its Northern Ireland Committee.^[2] In 1942, he became secretary of the union's Sheffield branch, and was soon elected to its national executive. After becoming a full-time organiser for the NUVB's York and North-Eastern division in 1951, he was elected as assistant general secretary of the union, in 1953.^[3][1]

In 1962, Roberts was elected as general secretary of the union. His tenure was a difficult period for the union; he was known as a moderate figure and was able to maintain a membership of 85,000.^[3] In 1967, he was also elected to the General Council of the Trades Union Congress.^[1]

Roberts negotiated a merger between the NUVB and the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU); as part of the agreement, he was due to become an executive officer of the TGWU, ranking among its three leading figures.^[4] However, he died in 1971, before the merger took place.^[1]