John Greenhalgh (1908 – 28 May 1980) 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. Greenhalgh worked in the cotton industry from the age of 15 and joined the

Bolton and District Card, Blowing and Ring Room Operatives' Provincial Association The Bolton and District Card, Blowing and Ring Room Operatives' Provincial Association was a trade union representing cotton industry workers in the Bolton area of Lancashire in England. The longest-established union of cardroom workers, it was ...

, becoming chair of his branch and also serving on the national executive of the

Cardroom Amalgamation The Cardroom Amalgamation or Cardroom Workers' Amalgamation (CWA)Joseph L. White, ''The Limits of Trade Union Militancy'', p.240, note 9 was a British trade union which existed between 1886 and 1974. It represented workers in the cotton textil ...

from the age of 24. He soon moved to work full-time for the union, and at the age of 33, he became general secretary of the North East Lancashire Card and Blowing Room Operatives' and Ring Spinners' Association. In 1949, he was elected as general secretary of the

International Federation of Textile Workers' Associations The International Federation of Textile Workers' Association (IFTWA) was a global union federation bringing together unions of textile workers, principally in Europe. History The federation's origins lay in the International Textile Congress, hel ...

. He negotiated a merger which, in 1960, formed the

International Textile and Garment Workers' Federation The International Textile and Garment Workers' Federation (ITGWF) was a global union federation of unions representing workers involved in manufacturing clothing and other textiles. The federation was established on 17 June 1960 at conference in C ...

, and remained general secretary of the new organisation. He focused on recruiting new affiliates outside Europe. In 1970, Greenhalgh took the federation into a further merger, forming the

International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation The International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF) was a global union federation. In 2005 it had 217 member organizations in 110 countries, representing a combined membership of over 10 million workers. History The ITGLW ...

. He again became its first general secretary, but retired the following year, due to poor health. In 1980, he died in a car accident.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenhalgh, Jack 1908 births 1980 deaths English trade unionists General secretaries of British trade unions People from Bolton Road incident deaths in the United Kingdom