Derek Hodgson (born 1941) is a former

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

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. Born in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

, Hodgson attended St Mary's Catholic School. He left at the age of fifteen, and turned down a place at agricultural college for a job delivering

telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

s for the

Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

.David Gow, "The postman knocks: Interview Derek Hodgson, CWU general secretary", ''

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 ...

'', 2 October 1999 He joined the

Union of Post Office Workers The Union of Communication Workers (UCW) was a trade union in the United Kingdom for workers in the post office and telecommunications industries. History The union was founded in 1919 as the Union of Post Office Workers (UPW) by the merger ...

and became the union representative for the telegram boys. Part of his job involved delivering dispatch boxes to George Thomas, who encouraged Hodgson to join the Labour Party.Dominic Kennedy, "Two men battle for stamp of authority", ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'', 18 April 1998 In his youth, Hodgson was a keen welterweight boxer, coached by Eddie Thomas. He considered turning professional, but he broke his leg in a motorbike accident at the age of nineteen and thereafter spent his spare time playing rugby and horse riding. In 1963, Hodgson was appointed as a full-time union official, and in 1978 he was elected to its national executive. In 1987, he was promoted to become national organiser, then became deputy general secretary in 1991. In 1993, he stood to become general secretary of the union, by then known as the

Union of Communication Workers The Union of Communication Workers (UCW) was a trade union in the United Kingdom for workers in the post office and telecommunications industries. History The union was founded in 1919 as the Union of Post Office Workers (UPW) by the merger ...

(UCW), but was defeated by

Alan Johnson Alan Arthur Johnson (born 17 May 1950) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Education and Skills from 2006 to 2007, Secretary of State for Health from 2007 to 2009, Home Secretary from 2009 to 2010, and Shadow Chancel ...

. Hodgson was also elected to the

National Executive Committee National Executive Committee is the name of a leadership body in several organizations, mostly political parties: * National Executive Committee of the African National Congress, in South Africa * Australian Labor Party National Executive * Nationa ...

of the Labour Party, and became a close ally of John Smith, meeting with him the night before Smith died. The UCW became part of the Communication Workers' Union, and in 1997, Hodgson was elected to replace Johnson as its joint general secretary. He was highly critical of Johnson, stating that when he took over, "we had the worst record in industrial relations of any union and a bloody mess to sort out". He restructured the union, soon becoming sole general secretary, and prioritised a campaign against the privatisation of the Post Office. However, he was keen to avoid any suggestion of being a left-winger, claiming that he was "more of a ohnPrescott man". Hodgson retired in 2001.Post union's new leader
, ''

Liverpool Echo The ''Liverpool Echo'' is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales – a subsidiary company of Reach plc and is based in St Paul's Square, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Sunday, and is Liverp ...

'', 24 May 2001 Since retiring Derek moved up North and now lives on the Lancashire coast with his wife Sheena, he is also a keen golfer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodgson, Derek 1941 births Living people General Secretaries of the Communication Workers Union (UK) Labour Party (UK) people Trade unionists from Cardiff