Charles Henry Urwin (24 February 1915 – 10 February 1996) 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 benefits (s ...

. Born in

Witton Gilbert Witton Gilbert is a village and civil parish in County Durham, England. Geography Witton Gilbert is situated about to the north-west of Durham. River Browney passes to the south of the village, while Dene Burn, one of its tributaries, runs thr ...

, County Durham, Urwin began work at a local coal mine at the age of fourteen, but left three years later, moving to

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...

to become a welder. He also joined the

Transport and General Workers' Union The Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU or T&G) was one of the largest general trade unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland – where it was known as the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union (ATGWU) to differentiate its ...

(TGWU), and soon became a

shop steward A union representative, union steward, or shop steward is an employee of an organization or company who represents and defends the interests of their fellow employees as a labor union member and official. Rank-and-file members of the union hold ...

for his workplace.William McCarthy,
Urwin, Charles Henry (Harry)
,

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In 1947, Urwin became secretary of the TGWU's Coventry district, succeeding Jack Jones. This was a full-time post, and he worked closely with Jones, striking up a life-long friendship. In 1959, Urwin became the regional officer, based in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

, then West Midlands secretary in 1963. In 1969 when Jones became the TGWU's general secretary, he made Urwin his assistant, then later created the role of deputy general secretary for Urwin. Urwin was elected to the general council of the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in England and Wales, representing the majority of trade unions. There are 48 affiliated unions, with a total of about 5.5 million members. Frances ...

(TUC), where he proved highly influential despite being one of its few members not to lead a union. He was also active in the Labour Party, and served on the

Manpower Services Commission The Manpower Services Commission (MSC) was a non-departmental public body of the Department of Employment Group in the United Kingdom created by Edward Heath's Conservative Government in 1973. The MSC had a remit to co-ordinate employment and tr ...

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and Energy Commission during the late 1970s, then the Advisory, Conciliation, and Arbitration Service from 1979. Jones retired in 1978, and Urwin followed him into retirement in 1980, living in

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield. Walsall is th ...

until his death in 1996.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Urwin, Harry 1915 births 1996 deaths Deputy general secretaries of the Transport and General Workers' Union Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress Trade unionists from County Durham People from Witton Gilbert