Sir Alfred George Tomkins (9 March 1895''England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007'' – 6 May 1975) was a long-serving

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

leader. Tomkins worked as a chair-maker and joined the

National Amalgamated Furnishing Trades Association The National Amalgamated Furnishing Trades Association (NAFTA) was a trade union representing workers involved in making furniture in the United Kingdom. History The union was founded in 1902 from the merger of the Alliance Cabinet Makers' Assoc ...

(NAFTA), becoming a branch secretary in 1922."Obituary: Sir Alfred Tomkins", ''Annual Report of the 1975 Trades Union Congress'', p.344 A member of the

Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPG ...

(CPGB) and supporter of

industrial unionism Industrial unionism is a trade union organizing method through which all workers in the same industry are organized into the same union, regardless of skill or trade, thus giving workers in one industry, or in all industries, more leverage in ...

, he quickly became well known through promoting this position at the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national tra ...

.Alan Campbell, ''British trade unions and industrial politics'', p.173John Lovell and Benjamin Charles Roberts, ''A Short History of the Trades Union Congress'', pp.96-106 In 1923, Tomkins was elected as the union's chairman and, in 1927, he became its full-time London organiser. After serving as assistant general secretary, he was elected as general secretary in 1941. He arranged a merger that formed the

National Union of Furniture Trade Operatives The National Union of Furniture Trade Operatives (NUFTO) was a trade union in the United Kingdom representing furniture makers. The union was founded in 1947 by the merger of the National Amalgamated Furnishing Trades Association and the Amalga ...

, and served as general secretary of the new union until 1971 when a further merger formed the

Furniture, Timber and Allied Trades Union The Furniture, Timber and Allied Trades Union (FTAT) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. History The union was founded in 1971 by the merger of the National Union of Furniture Trade Operatives (NUFTO) and the Amalgamated Society of Woodcu ...

(FTAT). Over time, his politics moved to the right, and he became a firm opponent of the CPGB, although he continued to work closely with CPGB members in his union. Despite being in his mid-seventies, Tomkins was elected as general secretary of FTAT, serving until his death in 1975. In his spare time, Tomkins served on the Industrial Court, the Council of Industrial Design, and the furniture manufacturing joint industry council. Shortly before his death, he was awarded a

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tomkins, Alf 1895 births 1975 deaths Communist Party of Great Britain members Knights Bachelor General Secretaries of the Furniture, Timber and Allied Trades Union Presidents of the General Federation of Trade Unions (UK)