John K. Dutton (11 June 1909''1939 England and Wales Register'' – 21 April 1985) 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 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 ...

leader. Dutton began his working life in a socialist bookshop. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he served with the London Fire Brigade, and became active in the

Fire Brigades Union The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) is a trade union in the United Kingdom for wholetime firefighters (including officers up to chief fire officer / firemaster), retained firefighters and emergency control room staff. History The first recorded ins ...

. In 1949, Dutton began working for the

Association of Scientific Workers The Association of Scientific Workers (AScW) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. It was founded as the National Union of Scientific Workers in 1918, changing its name to the Association of Scientific Workers in 1927. The union largely rep ...

(AScW), and two years later he was appointed the union's deputy general secretary. He was elected as general secretary of the union in 1955.

Clive Jenkins David Clive Jenkins (2 May 1926 – 22 September 1999) was a British trade union leader. "Organising the middle classes", his stated recreation in '' Who's Who'', sums up both his sense of humour and his achievements in the British trade union m ...

was elected as secretary of the

Association of Supervisory Staffs, Executives and Technicians The Association of Supervisory Staffs, Executives and Technicians (ASSET), was a British trade union, chiefly representing supervisors in the metal working and transport industries. It was formed from the National Foremen's Association, foun ...

in 1960, and Dutton began negotiating a merger between the two unions. This was completed in 1969, forming the

Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs The Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs (ASTMS) was a British trade union which existed between 1969 and 1988. History The ASTMS was created in 1969 when ASSET (the Association of Supervisory Staffs, Executives and Techni ...

, with Dutton and Jenkins as joint general secretaries. Dutton retired in 1970, but became general secretary of the World Federation of Scientific Workers (WFSW). In 1985, he visited

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

as part of his WSFW role, and died while he was there.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dutton, John 1909 births 1985 deaths Civil Defence Service personnel General secretaries of British trade unions Trade unionists from London