William Leslie Kendall (10 March 1923 – 5 March 2000) was a

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 unionist 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 Employee ben ...

. Kendall grew up in

South Shields South Shields () is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. Historically, it was known in Roman times as Arbeia, and as Caer Urfa by Early Middle Ages. According to the 20 ...

, where he joined 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). He served in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, before finding work as a clerk at the

National Insurance National Insurance (NI) is a fundamental component of the welfare state in the United Kingdom. It acts as a form of social security, since payment of NI contributions establishes entitlement to certain state benefits for workers and their famil ...

offices. He also joined the

Civil Service Clerical Association The Civil and Public Services Association (CPSA) was a trade union in the United Kingdom, representing civil servants. History The union was founded in 1921, when the Civil Service Clerical Union and the Clerical Officers' Association merged ...

(CSCA), becoming branch secretary, and rejoined the CPGB. Ken Thomas,
Bill Kendall
, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 10 March 2000 After only a year, Kendall left the CPGB, having become a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, and developed an interest in

liberation theology Liberation theology is a Christian theological approach emphasizing the liberation of the oppressed. In certain contexts, it engages socio-economic analyses, with "social concern for the poor and political liberation for oppressed peoples". In ...

. From 1952, he worked full-time for the CSCA and, in 1967, he was elected as its general secretary. As general secretary of what was now known as the Civil and Public Services Association (CPSA), Kendall was known as being on the right-wing on the trade union movement, while many union members were well to his left.Rodney Lowe, ''The Official History of the British Civil Service'', p.283 He reluctantly agreed to the union adopting a policy permitting members to take strike action, but was keen to use this only among sections which did not work directly with the public. In 1976, Kendall moved to become secretary of the staff side of the Whitley Council for the Civil Service, in 1980 becoming secretary of its successor, the

Council of Civil Service Unions The Council of Civil Service Unions (CCSU) was a trade union federation in the United Kingdom. The federation's origins lay in the Civil Service National Whitley Council, a joint bargaining organisation consisting of trade unions and representative ...

. In this role, he was known for his close working relationship with his press officer, Jimmy O'Dea, and spent considerable amounts of time courting the media. Although nominated repeatedly for the

General Council of the Trades Union Congress The General Council of the Trades Union Congress is an elected body which is responsible for carrying out the policies agreed at the annual British Trade Union Congresses (TUC). Organisation The council has 56 members, all of whom must be proposed ...

, he was never elected, and he retired in 1983.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kendall, Bill 1923 births 2000 deaths Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Communist Party of Great Britain members General Secretaries of the Civil and Public Services Association British trade union leaders People from South Shields Trade unionists from Tyne and Wear Royal Air Force personnel of World War II