Leif Anthony Mills (25 March 1936 – 17 December 2020) 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 ( ...

ist. Mills was educated at

Kingston Grammar School Kingston Grammar School is an independent co-educational day school in Kingston upon Thames, England. The school was founded by Royal Charter in 1561 but can trace its roots back to at least the 13th century.

and went on to study at

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...

before undertaking

national service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The l ...

in the

Royal Military Police The Royal Military Police (RMP) is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of army service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK and while service personnel are deployed overseas on operation ...

.Barrie Clement,
Balliol man climbs to top of union tree
, ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', 10 September 1994 He then joined the National Union of Bank Employees (later renamed the Banking Insurance and Finance Union - BIFU), becoming Assistant General Secretary in 1962, then Deputy General Secretary in 1968, and finally General Secretary in 1972, serving until 1996.Leif Mills, Esq, CBE Authorised Biography
, ''Debretts'' Mills stood unsuccessfully for the Labour Party in

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

at the 1964 general election, and again in a 1965 by-election. Although his first speech to the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national tra ...

was followed by BIFU's expulsion, for registering under the

Industrial Relations Act The Industrial Relations Act 1971 (c.72) was an Act of Parliament, Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, since repealed. It was based on proposals outlined in the governing Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party's manifesto for the 197 ...

, he subsequently held a number of TUC posts, including that of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

in 1994/5. He also served on the

Monopolies and Mergers Commission The Competition Commission was a non-departmental public body responsible for investigating mergers, markets and other enquiries related to regulated industries under UK competition law, competition law in the United Kingdom. It was a competiti ...

, and more recently with the

Covent Garden Market Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site ...

Authority. In 1999, Mills published a biography of

Frank Wild John Robert Francis Wild (18 April 1873 – 19 August 1939), known as Frank Wild, was an English sailor and explorer. He participated in five expeditions to Antarctica during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, for which he was awar ...

, while his ''Men of Ice'' appeared in 2008. He was appointed CBE in the

1995 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1995 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of the Queen's Offi ...

. He died on 17 December 2020 at the age of 84,Mills
/ref> and was an active member and benefactor of

Weybridge Rowing Club Weybridge Rowing Club, founded in 1880, is a rowing club by the Thames in England, on the Surrey bank. The club organises head races, notably the Weybridge Silver Sculls which has had Olympian winners and co-organises a May/June regatta. It con ...

, before which Oxford University Boat Club."Mills, Leif Anthony", (25 March 1936 – 17 Dec. 2020), General Secretary, Banking, Insurance and Finance Union (formerly National Union of Bank Employees), 1972–96; Chairman, Covent Garden Market Authority, 1998–2005." ''WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO''. 1 Dec. 2007; Accessed 4 Mar. 2022. https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540891.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-27587. He also subscribed to the Oxford and Cambridge Club.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, Leif 1936 births 2020 deaths Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Commanders of the Order of the British Empire British trade union leaders Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress Presidents of the Trades Union Congress People educated at Kingston Grammar School Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates