Tom Jackson (trade unionist)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Jackson was a British
trade union
ist and is best remembered as the General Secretary
of the Union of Post Office Workers who led 200,000 members into a 47-day strike in 1971, the first national postal strike.
Jackson was born in Leeds
, West Yorkshire
. Aged 14 he began work for the GPO as a telegraph boy. He spent three years (1943–46) on wartime service in the Royal Navy. Upon his return he became a postman, and later a sorter, during which time he became involved in the affairs of the Union of Post Office Workers. He became a member of its executive council in 1955 and in 1964 was elected national officer. In 1967, he became General Secretary, a role he held until 1982.
Jackson married Norma Burrow in 1947 and had one daughter, Kim. In 1982 he divorced Burrow and married Kathleen Tognarelli in the same year, a marriage which produced another daughter.
After retirement from trade union activities, he ran a second-hand book business, specialising in recipe books. He died in Ilkley
, West Yorkshire
on 6 June 2003.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
ist and is best remembered as the General Secretary
General Secretary
The office of general secretary is staffed by the chief officer of:*The General Secretariat for Macedonia and Thrace, a government agency for the Greek regions of Macedonia and Thrace...
of the Union of Post Office Workers who led 200,000 members into a 47-day strike in 1971, the first national postal strike.
Jackson was born in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
. Aged 14 he began work for the GPO as a telegraph boy. He spent three years (1943–46) on wartime service in the Royal Navy. Upon his return he became a postman, and later a sorter, during which time he became involved in the affairs of the Union of Post Office Workers. He became a member of its executive council in 1955 and in 1964 was elected national officer. In 1967, he became General Secretary, a role he held until 1982.
Other positions held
- Governor, BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
(1968–73) - Member, Annan CommitteeAnnan CommitteeThe Annan Committee on the future of broadcasting was established in April 1974 to discuss the United Kingdom broadcasting industry, including new technologies and their funding, the role and funding of the BBC, Independent Broadcasting Authority and programme standards.In February 1977 the...
on the Future of Broadcasting (1974–77) - Member, court and council of Sussex University (1974–78)
- HM Government director, BPBPBP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
(1975–83) - Chairman, General Council of TUC (1978–79)
- Chairman, TUC International Committee (1978–82)
- Chairman, Ilkley Literature FestivalIlkley Literature FestivalThe Ilkley Literature Festival is the north of England's oldest and largest literature festival.-Introduction:The Ilkley Literature Festival is an annual event in the spa town of Ilkley and has become one of the UK's top arts festivals...
(1984–87)
Jackson married Norma Burrow in 1947 and had one daughter, Kim. In 1982 he divorced Burrow and married Kathleen Tognarelli in the same year, a marriage which produced another daughter.
After retirement from trade union activities, he ran a second-hand book business, specialising in recipe books. He died in Ilkley
Ilkley
Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. Approximately north of Bradford, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
on 6 June 2003.
External links
- Tom Jackson: Moderate postal workers' leader whose authority never recovered from a damaging national strike (The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, 07/06/2003)