Norman David Willis (21 January 1933 – 7 June 2014) was the

General Secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in the United Kingdom from 1984 to 1993, and President of the

European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is the major trade union organisation representing workers at the European Union, European level. In its role as a European social partner, the ETUC works both in a consulting role with the European ...

from 1991 to 1993.

Life

Willis was born in Ashford,

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

. He attended Ashford County Grammar School in Ashford,

, and studied at

Ruskin College Ruskin College, originally known as Ruskin Hall, Oxford, is an independent educational institution in Oxford, England. It is not a college of Oxford University. It is named after the essayist, art and social critic John Ruskin (1819–1900) an ...

and

Oriel College, Oxford Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, wh ...

. He was a Labour councillor on Staines UDC from 1971 to 1974.

Career

TGWU

He worked for the

TGWU The Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU or T&G) was one of the largest general trade unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland – where it was known as the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union (ATGWU) to differentiate its ...

from 1949 to 1951, before two years'

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 ...

. From 1959 to 1970 he was the personal assistant to the General Secretary of the TGWU.

TUC

He became assistant General Secretary of the TUC in 1974. The leadership of Norman Willis from 1984 coincided in the late 1980s with a period of considerable change for the Trade Union movement in the UK: union membership was falling; the movement was facing power-limiting legislation from the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

government; and the Labour Party was conducting a fundamental review of its policies and the nature of its links with the unions.

Personal life

He was a patron of the

Embroiderers' Guild The Embroiderers' Guild is the UK's leading educational charity promoting embroidery. History The guild was formed in September 1906 at a meeting of sixteen ex-students of the Royal School of Art Needlework, under the name ''The Society of Certi ...

, a British

embroidery Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen on c ...

organisation, and former President of

the Arthur Ransome Society The Arthur Ransome Society, also known by its acronym Tars, and whose members refer to themselves as '' Tars'', is a society whose goals are to "celebrate the life, promote the works and diffuse the ideas of Arthur Ransome". It is based at the ...

(TARS). He was a renowned raconteur. He married Maureen Kenning in 1963. They had a son and a daughter. Willis died on 7 June 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Norman General Secretaries of the Trades Union Congress Fellows of Oriel College, Oxford 1933 births 2014 deaths People from Ashford, Surrey People educated at Ashford County Grammar School