Arthur Howcroft (died 25 January 1976) was a British

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. Howcroft worked as a manager in the Bolton cotton mills, and he joined the Bolton and District Managers' and Overlookers' Association. In 1949, he was elected as general secretary of the small union. The union was affiliated to the

General Union of Loom Overlookers The General Union of Loom Overlookers (GULO) was a trade union representing junior supervisors in textile manufacturing in the United Kingdom. While most members were based in Lancashire, it also had members in Yorkshire, East Anglia and Essex. ...

(GULO), and in 1963, he was elected as general secretary of GULO. While GULO was not a large organisation, Howcroft became prominent through representing it on other bodies. From 1964, he served on the Management Committee of the General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU), and in 1971/72, he was chair of the GFTU. He briefly served as secretary of the Northern Counties Textile Trades Federation. Under his leadership, GULO formed the British Federation of Textile Technicians, to work more closely with other unions in the industry. Howcroft died early in 1976, still in office.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howcroft, Arthur Year of birth missing 1976 deaths General secretaries of British trade unions People from Bolton Presidents of the General Federation of Trade Unions (UK)