Tony Burke is 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 union leader. Burke joined 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 ...

(NGA), and became president of its Stockport branch. In this role, he was at the forefront of disputes with newspaper owner

Eddy Shah Selim Jehan Shah (born 20 January 1944), commonly known as Eddy Shah or Eddie Shah, is a Manchester-based businessman, the founder of the then technologically advanced UK newspaper ''Today'' in 1986, and of the short-lived tabloid '' The Post''. ...

. During the

Wapping dispute The Wapping dispute was a lengthy failed strike by print workers in London in 1986. Print unions tried to block distribution of ''The Sunday Times'', along with other newspapers in Rupert Murdoch's News International group, after production wa ...

, he served on the union's executive. In 1991, the NGA merged into new the Graphical, Paper and Media Union (GPMU).Peter Bain and John Gennard, ''A History of the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades'' In 1994, Burke was elected as deputy general secretary of the GPMU. He became known for his focus on organising workers, and was appointed as chair of the

Trade Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in England and Wales, representing the majority of trade unions. There are 48 affiliated unions, with a total of about 5.5 million members. Frances ...

's (TUC) New Unionism Task Group. In 2004, the GPMU merged into Amicus, and Burke was appointed as one of its assistant general secretaries, leading its Graphical, Paper and Media Sector. Amicus, in turn, became part of

Unite Unite may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Unite'' (A Friend in London album), 2013 album by Danish band A Friend in London * ''Unite'' (Kool & the Gang album), 1993 * ''Unite'' (The O.C. Supertones album), 2005 Songs ...

, with Burke retaining his post as assistant general secretary, and responsibility for the media sector, more recently covering the manufacturing sector. Burke served on 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 ...

from 1993 until 2002, and again since 2008. He also serves on the TUC's Executive Committee, where he is the lead on employment and union rights. He represents the TUC on the Labour Party's

National Policy Forum The National Policy Forum (NPF) of the British Labour Party is part of the policy-making system of the Party, set up by Leader Tony Blair as part of the Partnership in Power process. A Provisional National Policy Forum had been established by Bl ...

, and also chairs the Campaign for Trade Union Freedom. He is board member of the

People's Press Printing Society The People's Press Printing Society (PPPS) is a readers' co-operative with the purpose of owning and publishing a left-wing, British, daily newspaper. The co-operative was established in 1945, with shares sold at £1. Originally the paper was title ...

and is the trade union co-ordinator for the '' Morning Star'' newspaper. He is a vice president of

IndustriALL IndustriALL Global Union is a global union federation, founded in Copenhagen on 19 June 2012. IndustriALL Global Union represents more than 50 million working people in more than 140 countries, working across the supply chains in mining, energy an ...

Europe, and since 2019 has been the chair of the

Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions The Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions (CSEU), often known as the Confed is a trade union confederation in the United Kingdom. History The confederation was founded in December 1890 as the Federation of Engineering and Shipbuil ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burke, Tony Year of birth missing (living people) Living people British trade unionists Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress