Sir Herbert Edwin Blain (14 May 1870 – 16 December 1942) 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 ...

and political activist. Blain was educated at

Liverpool Technical School 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 populat ...

, then began his career as a clerk working for

Liverpool Corporation Liverpool City Council is the governing body for the city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. It consists of 90 councillors, three for each of the city's 30 wards. The council is currently controlled by the Labour Party and is led by Mayor J ...

.Blain, Sir Herbert Edwin
, ''

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'' In 1896, he formed the Liverpool Municipal Officers' Guild, an association which opened its membership to all local government officers in the city, regardless of grade. In order to cement its position, he appointed prominent local officials and politicians to honorary positions in the guild, and organising a wide range of social and sporting activities for members. Over the next few years, he worked with staff at other authorities to form their own guilds.Alec Spoor, ''White-collar union'', pp.10-19 The Municipal Officers' Association (MOA), a small national organisation which focus on legislative reform to bring in pensions for local government officers, was collapsing in 1903, and invited Blain's guild to join. Blain took up a post managing the West Ham tramways so that he could work closely with the association and, in 1904, was elected as its chairman. Blain organised a conference to bring together the MOA, the local guilds, and a few other small unions, and in 1905, this formed the

National Association of Local Government Officers The National and Local Government Officers' Association was a British trade union representing mostly local government "white collar" workers. It was formed in 1905 as the National Association of Local Government Officers, and changed its full ...

(NALGO). Blain served on the executive of NALGO, though never as a paid official. In 1908, East Ham Council, run by the Municipal Alliance, decided to dismiss many of its officers, and reduce the wages and conditions of employment of the remainder. Blain organised NALGO's opposition, finding union members to act as

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s for opponents who would reinstate the officers. This proved hugely successful; every councillor who had supported the cuts lost their seat, and a new

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council was elected, which reinstated the dismissed staff and their previous conditions.Alec Spoor, ''White-collar union'', pp.51-52 In 1913, Blain left local government employment to work with the new group combining

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and the

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, becoming its Operating Manager in 1914. He left NALGO that year,Alec Spoor, ''White-collar union'', pp.62-64 and thereafter spent his spare time focusing on

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, founding the London Safety First Council and the

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. In 1921, he became the assistant managing director of the London transportation group, leaving in 1924 to become principal agent for the

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, a role for which he was knighted.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blain, Herbert 1870 births 1942 deaths Conservative Party (UK) people Trade unionists from Liverpool Knights Bachelor British trade union leaders Commanders of the Order of the British Empire