Robert Last (11 September 1829 – 1898) 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 Employee ben ...

. Born in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

, Last left school at the age of fifteen and completed an apprenticeship as a builder. In 1856, he moved to

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, having heard that higher wages were available there. Once he arrived, he joined the

General Union of Carpenters and Joiners {{short description, Former trade union of the United Kingdom The General Union of Carpenters and Joiners (GUC&J) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in 1827 by the amalgamation of various local societies in London. Ori ...

(GUC&J), and soon became secretary of his local lodge.Stephen Coltham, "Last, Robert", ''Dictionary of Labour Biography'', vol.III, pp.127 – 128 The headquarters of the GUC&J rotated between various cities, and each in turn elected a general secretary. In 1862, when it was Manchester's turn, the union was in crisis. The previous general secretary, Thomas Skinner, had been imprisoned, and many of the union's branches had defected to the rival

Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners The Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners (ASC&J) was a New Model Trade Union in the 1860s in the United Kingdom, representing carpenters and joiners. History The formation of the Society was spurred by the Stonemason's strike, 1859, ...

.Arthur Marsh and Victoria Ryan, ''Historical Directory of British Trade Unions'', vol.3, pp.25-26 Last was elected as secretary, on a platform of reorganisation. He persuaded members to accept new rules and benefits, and a new system where all union members voted for the secretary. On that basis, he was repeatedly re-elected, but was forced to move to Bristol in 1868 and Birmingham in 1872, as the headquarters continued to rotate. Last was firmly opposed to the ASC&J, and also to the

Junta Junta may refer to: Government and military * Junta (governing body) (from Spanish), the name of various historical and current governments and governing institutions, including civil ones ** Military junta, one form of junta, government led by ...

. He worked closely with George Potter to maintain a reputation for being more radical than the ASC&J, and established new lodges around the country. By 1876, when he stood down, membership of the union had reached a record of 11,841, although this fell away rapidly after his departure. In his spare time, Last was a keen butterfly collector.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Last, Robert 1829 births 1898 deaths British trade union leaders Union leaders from Norwich