The Society of Graphical and Allied Trades (SOGAT) was a British

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 ( ...

in the

printing Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabonidus. The ea ...

industry.

History

SOGAT was formed in 1966 by the

National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers The National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers (NUPBPW) was a British trade union. History The union was founded in 1921 as the National Union of Printing, Bookbinding, Machine Ruling and Paper Workers when the National Union o ...

and the

National Society of Operative Printers and Assistants The National Society of Operative Printers and Assistants (NATSOPA) was a British trade union. History Formed as part of the New Unionism movement in September 1889, the union was originally named the Printers' Labourers' Union and was led b ...

(NATSOPA). The National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers became the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades Division A and NATSOPA became the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades Division 1. The aim was to achieve a complete merger over time, but differences led to in-fighting and in 1970 the two divisions split, Division A retaining the name Society of Graphical and Allied Trades and Division 1 becoming the National Society of Operative Printers, Graphical and Media Personnel (but retaining the NATSOPA acronym). In 1975, SOGAT officially became the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades 1975 (SOGAT '75) after amalgamation with the Scottish Graphical Association. In 1982, SOGAT '75 and NATSOPA finally amalgamated to become the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades 1982 (SOGAT '82). In 1991, SOGAT '82 merged with the

National Graphical Association The National Graphical Association (NGA) was a trade union representing typographers and related workers in the United Kingdom. History The union was formed in 1964 by the merger of two long-term rival unions, the Typographical Association and ...

to form the Graphical, Paper and Media Union, which subsequently merged with Amicus to become that union's Graphical, Paper and Media industrial sector.

Election results

The union did not initially sponsor Parliamentary candidates, but shortly after the 1979 general election, it changed its policy. It sponsored

Bob Litherland Robert Kenneth Litherland (23 June 193013 May 2011), known as Bob Litherland, was a British Labour politician. He was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Manchester Central at a by-election in September 1979, and held the office until he ...

's successful candidacy in the 1979 Manchester Central by-election, and also began sponsoring

Ron Leighton Ronald Leighton (24 January 1930 – 28 February 1994) was a British Labour Party politician. Political career Leighton contested Middleton and Prestwich at the 1964 general election, but was beaten by the Conservative incumbent Sir John Ba ...

, who was already a sitting Member of Parliament.

General Secretaries

:1966: Tom Smith :1970: Vincent Flynn :1975: Bill Keys :1982: Bill Keys and

Owen O'Brien Owen O'Brien (22 June 1920 – 2 November 1987) was a British trade union leader. Born in Stepney, in the East End of London, O'Brien started work in the printing industry when he was fourteen years old. He completed an apprenticeship, durin ...

:1985:

Brenda Dean Brenda Dean, Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde, (29 April 1943 – 13 March 2018) was a British trade unionist and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician. As general secretary of SOGAT from 1985 until 1991, she was "the first woman elected ...

Presidents

:1966: John McKenzie :1967: Vincent Flynn :1970: Bill Keys :1975: Albert Powell :1983:

:1985: Danny Sergeant

References

External links

Catalogue of the SOGAT archives
held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick
Catalogue of the Printing Machine Branch archives
held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick Trade unions established in 1966 Trade unions disestablished in 1991 Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom 1966 establishments in the United Kingdom Printing trade unions 1991 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Trade unions based in Essex {{UK-trade-union-stub