Sydney Hill (29 October 1902 – 17 August 1968) 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 ...

and politician.

Background

Hill grew up in

Dudley Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...

. He left school at the age of fourteen and completed an apprenticeship in engineering.

Career

A keen trade unionist, Hill served as president of the Dudley and District

Trades Council A labour council, trades council or industrial council is an association of labour unions or union branches in a given area. Most commonly, they represent unions in a given geographical area, whether at the district, city, region, or provincial or ...

from 1928 to 1935. He also joined the Labour Party, and was elected to

Tipton Tipton is an industrial town in the West Midlands in England with a population of around 38,777 at the 2011 UK Census. It is located northwest of Birmingham. Tipton was once one of the most heavily industrialised towns in the Black Country, w ...

Borough Council in 1937, serving for ten years.Hill, Sydney
, ''

Who Was Who ''Who's Who'' is a reference work. It is a book, and also a CD-ROM and a website, giving information on influential people from around the world. Published annually as a book since 1849, it lists people who influence British life, according to i ...

'' In 1935, Hill began working full-time for the

National Union of Public Employees The National Union of Public Employees (NUPE) was a British trade union which existed between 1908 and 1993. It represented public sector workers in local government, the Health Service, universities, and water authorities. History The union w ...

(NUPE), as its Midlands Organiser. Ten years later, he was promoted to become a national officer, then was Chief National Officer from 1960, and Assistant General Secretary from 1962. Later that year, he was elected as General Secretary of NUPE, and was also elected to the

General Council of the Trades Union Congress The General Council of the Trades Union Congress is an elected body which is responsible for carrying out the policies agreed at the annual British Trade Union Congresses (TUC). Organisation The council has 56 members, all of whom must be proposed ...

. As secretary, Hill was known for his negotiation skills, although his speeches were considered weak. By 1965, he was close to retirement, and the union was effectively run by his assistant,

Alan Fisher Alan Fisher may refer to: * Alan Fisher (broadcast journalist), Scottish broadcast journalist * Alan Fisher (trade unionist) Alan Fisher (20 June 1922 – 20 March 1988) was a British trade unionist. Born in Birmingham, Fisher spent his entire ...

. Hill reached the retirement age of 65 in 1967, and died the following year.

Works

* ''Housing under Capitalism'' (1935)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Sydney 1902 births 1968 deaths Councillors in the West Midlands (county) General Secretaries of the National Union of Public Employees Labour Party (UK) councillors Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress People from Dudley