The Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section (TASS) was a British

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

History

The union was founded in 1913 by 200

draughtsmen A draughtsman (British spelling) or draftsman (American spelling) may refer to: * An architectural drafter, who produced architectural drawings until the late 20th century * An artist who produces drawings that rival or surpass their other types o ...

, as the Association of Engineering and Shipbuilding Draughtsmen (AESD). It expanded rapidly, and had more than 14,000 member by the end of the decade. Although it declined during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, it retained most of its members by offering

unemployment benefit Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is the proportion of people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for Work (hu ...

, and by 1939 established a new high of 23,000 members, this rising to 44,000 by the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and over 75,000 by 1968. From 1960, it accepted technicians in ancillary roles, changing its name to the Draughtsmen's and Allied Technicians' Association (DATA).Peter Armstrong et al, ''White Collar Workers Trade Unions and Class'', pp. 163–164. In 1970, DATA amalgamated with the

Amalgamated Union of Engineering and Foundry Workers The Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU) was a major United Kingdom, British trade union. It merged with the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union to form the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union in 1992. History ...

(AUEFW) and Constructional Engineering Union (CEU) to form the

Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers The Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU) was a major British trade union. It merged with the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union to form the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union in 1992. History The history o ...

(AUEW). The former members of DATA formed the Technical and Supervisory Section of the new union. At the 1973 Representative Council Conference it was agreed to rename it the Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section (TASS). In 1985, after considerable problems within the AUEW, TASS broke away to become an independent union. TASS absorbed the National Union of Gold, Silver and Allied Trades (NUGSAT) in 1981, the National Union of Sheet Metal Workers, Coppersmiths, Heating and Domestic Engineers in 1983, the Association of Patternmakers and Allied Craftsmen in 1984, the Tobacco Workers' Union in 1986, and the National Society of Metal Mechanics in 1987. In 1988, it merged with the

Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs The Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs (ASTMS) was a British trade union which existed between 1969 and 1988. History The ASTMS was created in 1969 when ASSET (the Association of Supervisory Staffs, Executives and Techn ...

(ASTMS) to become the Manufacturing Science and Finance Union (MSF). MSF in turn merged with the AEEU to form Amicus in 2002. This resulted in TASS and the former AUEW (by then part of the AEEU) being re-united within one union.

Election results

The union sponsored Labour Party candidates in each Parliamentary election from 1950 onwards.

Leadership

General Secretaries

:1913: L. Blair :1918:

Peter Doig Peter Doig ( ; born 17 April 1959) is a painter of Scottish nationality who has lived and worked between Trinidad, Canada, the USA, Germany and Britain. He settled in Trinidad with his family between 2002 and 2021, when he moved back to London. ...

:1945: James Young :1952: George Doughty :1974: Ken Gill

Assistant General Secretaries

:1919: David Manteklow :1920: David Manteklow and James Young :1929: ''Post vacant'' :1946: John Holland :1956: J. Dickinson

Deputy General Secretaries

:1968: Ken Gill :1973: John Forrester :1979: Eric Winterbottom :1983:

Barbara Switzer Barbara Switzer (née McMinn; born 26 November 1940) is a former British trade unionist. She grew up in Manchester, attending Chorlton Central School and Stretford Technical College, where she completed a City & Guilds certificate as an electrical ...

References

External links

Catalogue of the TASS archives
held at the

Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick The Modern Records Centre (MRC) is the specialist archive service of the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, located adjacent to the Central Campus Library. It was established in October 1973 and holds the world's largest archive collect ...

.
Catalogue of the DATA archives
held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick. {{portal, Organized labour 1913 establishments in the United Kingdom 1988 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Amalgamated Engineering Union Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom Trade unions established in 1913 Trade unions disestablished in 1988 Trade unions based in London