Eric Nevin (died 21 August 2009) 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 union leader. Born in

Waterloo, Merseyside Waterloo is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, in Merseyside, England. Along with Seaforth, Merseyside, Seaforth the two localities make up the Church (Sefton ward), Sefton Ward of Church. The area is bordered by Crosby, Merseyside, Cr ...

, Nevin studied at St Mary's College, Crosby, on '' HMS Conway'', and at

Liverpool Technical College The College of Technology and Museum Extension in Byrom Street, Liverpool, England, was built between 1896 and 1901, the architect was Edward William Mountford. The building was constructed to provide a new College of Technology and an exten ...

. He served in the Merchant Navy from 1948, and became a

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in 1957. Nevin joined the Merchant Navy and Airline Officers' Association (MNAOA) and began working full-time for the union in 1959, initially as an assistant district secretary in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, but two years later he was promoted to become a national secretary. He rose to become assistant general secretary in 1971, and then in 1974 was elected as the union's general secretary. As the leader of the union, Nevin set up the J. W. Slater Memorial Fund, in memory of his predecessor, and he served on a large number of external bodies. From 1985, this included 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 organised a merger between the MNAOA and two smaller unions, forming the

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 ...

. Nevin continued as general secretary until his retirement in 1988. He died in 2009, at the age of 78, following a long illness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nevin, Eric Year of birth missing 2009 deaths General secretaries of British trade unions Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress People from the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton