Alan Sapper was a British

British people

The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...

 trade unionist.

Born in Hammersmith

Hammersmith

Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...

, Sapper studied at the Latymer Upper School

Latymer Upper School

Latymer Upper School, founded by Edward Latymer in 1624, is a selective independent school in Hammersmith, West London, England, lying between King Street and the Thames. It is a day school for 1,130 pupils – boys and girls aged 11–18; there is also the Latymer Preparatory School for boys and girls...

, then worked as a botanist at Kew Gardens while studying with the University of London External Programme

University of London External Programme

The University of London International Programmes is a division of the University of London that manages external study programmes.Several colleges and institutes of the University of London offer degrees through the programme, including Birkbeck, Goldsmiths, Heythrop College, Institute of...

. He became active in the Institution of Professional Civil Servants, then in 1958 moved to work for the Association of Cinematograph, Television and Allied Technicians, initially also undertaking scriptwriting. He was General Secretary of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain

Writers' Guild of Great Britain

The Writers' Guild of Great Britain, established in 1959, is a trade union for professional writers. It is affiliated with both the Trades Union Congress and the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds .-Activities:...

 from 1966, before returning to ACTT in General Secretary, serving until 1991. He acquired a reputation for supporting militant action to defend technicians' pay and conditions, in particular in the ITV

ITV

ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

 strike of 1979, where he secured an almost 30% pay rise.

Sapper served as the President of the Trades Union Congress

President of the Trades Union Congress

The President of the Trades Union Congress is a prominent but largely honorary position in British trade unionism.The President is elected at the annual conference of the Trades Union Congress . They officially fill the office for the remainder of the year and then preside over the following...

 in 1982, and also as the President of the Confederation of Entertainment Unions and the International Federation of Audio Visual Workers.

Sapper's brother Laurie

Laurie Sapper

Laurie Sapper was a British trade unionist.Born in Hammersmith, Sapper worked as a Senior Instructor in the Royal Air Force during World War II and also joined the Communist Party of Great Britain...

also became the leader of a trade union.