Brian D. Orrell is a former British trade union leader. Born in

Barrow-in-Furness Barrow-in-Furness is a port town in Cumbria, England. Historically in Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1867 and merged with Dalton-in-Furness Urban District in 1974 to form the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness. In 2023 the ...

, Orrell went to sea in 1965, training as an engineer with the

Blue Funnel Line Alfred Holt and Company, trading as Blue Funnel Line, was a UK shipping company that was founded in 1866 and operated merchant ships for 122 years. It was one of the UK's larger shipowning and operating companies, and as such had a significan ...

. He joined the Merchant Navy and Airline Officers Association (MNAOA), and from 1973 he worked full-time for the union as industrial officer of its Liverpool branch. While in this post, he studied with

Ruskin College Ruskin College, originally known as Ruskin Hall, Oxford, is an independent educational institution in Oxford, England. It is not a college of Oxford University. It is named after the essayist, art and social critic John Ruskin (1819–1900) an ...

and then the Chelmer Institute Law School. In 1989, Orrell was elected as assistant general secretary of

National Union of Marine, Aviation and Shipping Transport Officers The National Union of Marine, Aviation and Shipping Transport Officers (NUMAST) was a trade union representing seafarers and allied workers, based in the United Kingdom. History Nautilus traces its roots back more than 150 years, when the Mercant ...

(NUMAST), the successor to the MNAOA, and then he became general secretary in 1993. He represented the union at the

International Transport Workers' Federation The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) is a democratic global union federation of transport workers' trade unions, founded in 1896. In 2017 the ITF had 677 member organizations in 149 countries, representing a combined membership ...

, and chaired its seafarers' group from 2000, achieving new agreements on working conditions, hours or work, and identity documents. Orrell negotiated an international merger, which led NUMAST to join the new

Nautilus International Nautilus International is an international trade union and professional association representing seafarers and allied workers, which is based in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Organisation The union's head office is in Lond ...

in 2009. He stood down shortly before the merger took place. In 2007, he was made an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, and the following year, he was given the Lloyds List London Lifetime Achievement Award. He also served for several years on 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 ...

. After his retirement, he served as chair of Seafarers' Rights International.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Orrell, Brian Year of birth missing (living people) Living people General secretaries of British trade unions Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress People from Barrow-in-Furness Trade unionists from Cumbria