The president of the Trades Union Congress is a prominent but largely honorary position in British trade unionism .
Initially, the post of president was elected at the annual Trades Union Congress (TUC) itself, and would serve just for the duration of the congress. Early standing orders stated that preference had to be given to a candidate from the city where the congress was being held; they were not necessarily well-known figures.[ 1]
In 1900, the standing orders were changed to state that the presidency would be filled by the person who had chaired the Parliamentary Committee over the previous year. As a result, before 1900, numerous people served as Chair of the Parliamentary Committee without becoming President; after this date, Presidents were prominent figures in the national trade union movement.[ 2] The Parliamentary Committee was replaced by the General Council in 1921, and the system continued.
There were still rare occasions where the Chair did not become President. Margaret Bondfield , who was elected as Chair in 1923, resigned to accept a government post before becoming President.[ 3] George Isaacs , who was elected as Chair in 1944, similarly resigned to accept a government post, and was replaced by the vice-president, Ebby Edwards , who had presided over the previous year's congress.[ 4]
In recent years, the president has once more been elected at the annual congress, but now officially fills the office for the remainder of the year and then presides over the following year's conference (in the years listed below).
George Potter, President in 1871 Edwin Coulson, President in 1881 Presidents from 1900 [ edit ] Will Thorne, President in 1912 Jimmy Thomas, President in 1920 Ben Turner, President in 1928 Fred Jarvis, President in 1987 Rodney Bickerstaffe, President in 1992 Margaret Prosser, President in 1996 Mary Bousted, President in 2013 Year Name Union 1900 William Pickles National Amalgamated Society of House and Ship Painters 1901 C. W. Bowerman London Society of Compositors 1902 W. C. Steadman River Thames Barge Builders Trades Union 1903 W. Boyd Hornidge National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives 1904 Richard Bell Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants 1905 James Sexton National Union of Dock Labourers 1906 D. C. Cummings United Society of Boilermakers 1907 Alfred Gill Bolton Cotton Spinners Association 1908 David Shackleton Northern Counties Amalgamated Association of Weavers 1909 David Shackleton Northern Counties Amalgamated Association of Weavers 1910 James Haslam Miners Federation of Great Britain 1911 William Mullin Amalgamated Association of Card and Blowing Room Operatives 1912 Will Thorne National Union of Gas Workers and General Labourers 1913 William John Davis Amalgamated Society of Brassworkers 1915 James Seddon National Amalgamated Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks 1916 Harry Gosling National Transport Workers Federation 1917 John Hill United Society of Boilermakers 1918 John William Ogden Northern Counties Amalgamated Association of Weavers 1919 G. H. Stuart-Bunning Postmen's Federation 1920 Jimmy Thomas National Union of Railwaymen 1921 Edward L. Poulton National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives 1922 Robert Barrie Walker National Union of Agricultural Workers 1923 Joe Williams Musicians Union 1924 Alf Purcell National Amalgamated Furnishing Trades Association 1925 Alonzo Swales Amalgamated Engineering Union 1926 Arthur Pugh Iron and Steel Trades Confederation 1927 George Hicks Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers 1928 Ben Turner National Union of Textile Workers 1929 Ben Tillett Transport and General Workers Union 1930 John Beard Transport and General Workers Union 1931 Arthur Hayday National Union of General and Municipal Workers 1932 John Bromley Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen 1933 Alexander Walkden Railway Clerks' Association 1934 Andrew Conley National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers 1935 William Kean National Union of Gold, Silver and Allied Trades 1936 Alan Findlay United Patternmakers Association 1937 Ernest Bevin Transport and General Workers Union 1938 Herbert Henry Elvin National Union of Clerks and Administrative Workers 1939 Joseph Hallsworth National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers 1940 Bill Holmes National Union of Agricultural Workers 1941 George Gibson Mental Hospital and Institutional Workers Union 1942 Frank Wolstencroft Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers 1943 Anne Loughlin National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers 1944 Ebby Edwards Miners Federation of Great Britain 1945 Ebby Edwards National Union of Mineworkers 1946 Charles Dukes National Union of General and Municipal Workers 1947 George Walker Thomson Association of Engineering and Shipbuilding Draughtsmen 1948 Florence Hancock Transport and General Workers Union 1949 Will Lawther National Union of Mineworkers 1950 Herbert Bullock National Union of General and Municipal Workers 1951 Alfred Roberts National Association of Card, Blowing and Ring Room Operatives 1952 Arthur Deakin Transport and General Workers Union 1953 Tom O'Brien National Association of Theatrical and Kine Employees 1954 Jack Tanner Amalgamated Engineering Union 1955 Charles Geddes Union of Post Office Workers 1956 Wilfred Beard United Patternmakers Association 1957 Tom Williamson National Union of General and Municipal Workers 1958 Tom Yates National Union of Seamen 1959 Robert Willis London Typographical Society 1960 Claude Bartlett Confederation Of Health Service Employees 1961 Ted Hill United Society of Boilermakers 1962 Anne Godwin Clerical and Administrative Workers Union 1963 Frederick Hayday National Union of General and Municipal Workers 1964 George H. Lowthian Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers 1965 Harold Collison National Union of Agricultural Workers 1966 Joseph O'Hagan National Union of Blastfurnacemen, Ore Miners, Coke Workers and Kindred Trades 1967 Harry Douglass Iron and Steel Trades Confederation 1968 Lewis Wright Amalgamated Weavers' Association 1969 John E. Newton National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers 1970 Sidney Greene National Union of Railwaymen 1971 Jack Cooper National Union of General and Municipal Workers 1972 George Smith Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians 1973 Joseph Crawford National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shotfirers 1974 Alfred Allen Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers 1975 Marie Patterson Transport and General Workers Union 1976 Cyril Plant Inland Revenue Staff Federation 1977 Danny McGarvey [ 5] Amalgamated Society of Boilermakers, Shipwrights, Blacksmiths and Structural Workers 1977 Marie Patterson Transport and General Workers Union 1978 David Basnett National Union of General and Municipal Workers 1979 Thomas Jackson Union of Post Office Workers 1980 Terry Parry Fire Brigades Union 1981 Alan Fisher National Union of Public Employees 1982 Alan Sapper Association of Cinematograph Television and Allied Technicians 1983 Frank Chapple Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union 1984 Ray Buckton Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen 1985 Jack Eccles General, Municipal, Boilermakers and Allied Trade Union 1986 Ken Gill Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section 1987 Fred Jarvis National Union of Teachers 1988 Clive Jenkins Manufacturing, Science and Finance 1989 Tony Christopher Inland Revenue Staff Federation 1990 Ada Maddocks National and Local Government Officers Association 1991 Alec Smith GMB Union 1992 Rodney Bickerstaffe National Union of Public Employees 1993 Alan Tuffin Union of Communication Workers 1994 Jimmy Knapp National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers 1995 Leif Mills Banking, Insurance and Finance Union 1996 Margaret Prosser Transport and General Workers Union 1997 Tony Dubbins Graphical, Paper and Media Union 1998 John Edmonds GMB Union 1999 Hector Mackenzie Unison 2000 Rita Donaghy Unison 2001 Bill Morris Transport and General Workers Union 2002 Tony Young Communication Workers Union 2003 Nigel de Gruchy National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers 2004 Roger Lyons Amicus 2005 Jeannie Drake Communication Workers Union 2006 Gloria Mills Unison 2007 Alison Shepherd Unison 2008 Dave Prentis Unison 2009 Sheila Bearcroft GMB Union 2010 Dougie Rooney Unite 2011 Michael Leahy Community 2012 Paul Kenny GMB Union 2013 Lesley Mercer Chartered Society of Physiotherapy 2014 Mohammad Taj Unite 2015 Leslie Manasseh Prospect 2016 Liz Snape Unison 2017 Mary Bousted Association of Teachers and Lecturers 2018 Sally Hunt University and College Union 2019 Mark Serwotka Public and Commercial Services Union 2020 Ged Nichols Accord 2021 Gail Cartmail Unite 2022 Sue Ferns Prospect 2023 Maria Exall Communication Workers' Union 2024 Matt Wrack Fire Brigades Union
^ Trades Union Congress , Annual Report of the 1874 Trades Union Congress ^ Trades Union Congress , Annual Report of the 1900 Trades Union Congress , pp.94-95 ^ Daniel Fairchild Calhoun, The United Front!: The TUC and the Russians, 1923-1928 , p.46 ^ Trades Union Congress , Annual Report of the 1945 Trades Union Congress , p.23 ^ John Kerr, "Sir Daniel McGarvey - 'boots' to union boss", The Guardian , 27 April 1977, p.3: McGarvey died in office