George Brent Brumwell (22 October 1939 – 8 November 2005) was a British

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 ...

. He was

General Secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

of the

Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians The Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT) was a British and Irish trade union, operating in the construction industry. It was founded in 1971, and merged into Unite on 1 January 2017. It was affiliated to the Trades Un ...

(UCATT) from 1991 to 2004. Brumwell was born in

Hartlepool Hartlepool () is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Borough of Hartlepool. With an estimated population of 90,123, it is the second-largest settlement in County ...

, and was apprenticed as a

joiner A joiner is an artisan and tradesperson who builds things by joining pieces of wood, particularly lighter and more ornamental work than that done by a carpenter, including furniture and the "fittings" of a house, ship, etc. Joiners may work in ...

to the local shipbuilding firm of William Gray before moving into the construction industry. He joined the

Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers The Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers (ASW) was a British trade union representing carpenters, joiners and allied trades. The ASW was formed in 1921 by the amalgamation of two smaller unions. It was itself merged into the Union of Constructio ...

, and became a full-time district official in Sheffield in 1971, the year that it joined the amalgamated organisation of UCATT. In 1974 he became the regional secretary in Leeds, and from 1984 represented the Midlands and Yorkshire on the union's executive council. His term as General Secretary was noted for increasing the membership and saving the union from division and financial chaos. He served on a number of construction industry bodies and on the

Health and Safety Commission The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) was a United Kingdom non-departmental public body. The HSC was created by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSWA). It was formally established on 31 July 1974. The Commission consisted of a chairm ...

. He initiated and chaired the

Construction Skills Certification Scheme The Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) is a British company that runs a training and qualification verification scheme of the same name for the British construction industry. CSCS is the leading skills certification scheme within the ...

and helped to negotiate the industry's first contributory pension scheme. He was at the same time a Labour councillor and was leader of the council in

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

from 1980 to 1982. He left a son and four daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brumwell, George 1939 births 2005 deaths General secretaries of the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress