Luke Fawcett (1881–25 October 1960) 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 North Thoresby in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

, Fawcett served an

apprenticeship Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

as a bricklayer, and immediately became an active trade unionist, becoming secretary of the Manchester Federation of Building Trades Operatives. He became increasingly concerned by the casualisation in the industry.Frank C. Roberts, ''Obituaries from the Times, 1951-1960'', p.242''Report of Proceedings'' (1961),

Trade 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 ...

, p.290 In 1934, he became the first full-time President of the Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers Fawcett was the General Secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers from 1941 until 1952. He then became President of the National Federation of Building Trades Operatives, and Chairman of the Southern Regional Board for Industry. He received the OBE in 1943, and a

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...

in 1948.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fawcett, Luke 1881 births 1960 deaths British trade union leaders People from East Lindsey District