Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians
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The Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT) was a British and
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
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 ( ...
, operating in the
construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and com ...
industry. It was founded in 1971, and merged into
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 ...
on 1 January 2017. It was affiliated to the
Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national tra ...
and the Labour Party, as well as to the
Building and Wood Workers' International The Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI) is the global union federation of democratic and free trade unions in the building industry, building, building materials, wood industry, wood, forestry and allied industries. History The feder ...
and the EFBWW, European Federation of Building and Wood Workers.


History


Formation

UCATT was formed in 1971 following the merger of the Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers (AUBTW), the
Association of Building Technicians The Association of Building Technicians (ABT) was a trade union representing architects, surveyors and related workers in the United Kingdom. History The union was founded in 1919 as the Architects' and Surveyors' Assistants' Professional Union. ...
and the Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers and Decorators, which had itself been founded the previous year from a merger of the
Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers The Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers (ASW) was a British trade union representing carpenters, joiners and allied trades. The ASW was formed in 1921 by the amalgamation of two smaller unions. It was itself merged into the Union of Constructi ...
(ASW) and the
Amalgamated Society of Painters and Decorators The Amalgamated Society of Painters and Decorators (ASPD) was a trade union in the United Kingdom which existed between 1886 and 1970. History The union had its origins in the Manchester Alliance of Operative House Painters, founded in 1855, wh ...
(ASPD). The merged union was initially known as the ''Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers, Painters and Builders'', but changed its name later in the year. Its first general secretary was Sir George Smith, formerly general secretary of the ASW, who was directly elected by the membership. Its Executive at the time incorporated paid officials who had been selected by an electoral process within the industry.


National strike of 1972

In 1972, shortly after its formation, UCATT along with the GMWU and
TGWU The Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU or T&G) was one of the largest general trade unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland – where it was known as the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union (ATGWU) to differentiate its ...
, two sister unions involved in construction and civil engineering, was involved in a major national joint industrial dispute. For the first time in the building industry, workers all over the country went on strike, demanding a minimum wage of £30 a week and abolition of the '
Lump Labour Scheme Lump may refer to: * "Lump" (song), a 1995 song by The Presidents of the United States of America * ''Lump'' (compilation album), a 2000 best-of album by The Presidents of the United States of America * Lump (dog), a dog who inspired Pablo Pic ...
', which institutionalised casual cash-paid daily labour without employment rights. The 12-week stoppage affected many major sites, effectively forcing employers to negotiate. The
Building Workers’ Charter The Building Workers’ Charter was a workers' rights campaign launched in 1970 with branches in Glasgow, London, Manchester, Wigan, Leicester, Stoke and North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northern ...
was actively involved in organising the strike.


The 'Shrewsbury Two'

Unionised workers used
flying picket Picketing is a form of protest in which people (called pickets or picketers) congregate outside a place of work or location where an event is taking place. Often, this is done in an attempt to dissuade others from going in (" crossing the pick ...
s to seek support from workers on the lump. On 6 September 1972, UCATT and TGWU bussed members from
North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...
and
Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
to picket building sites in Shrewsbury. Despite confrontations with site management, the police made no arrests on the day. Five months after the strike, at a time when some of the strikers' aims had been largely settled, several building workers were investigated for alleged sabotage and vandalism during the dispute. Some were subject to high-profile police investigation, under pressure from major contractors and politicians anxious to suppress the emergence of
organised labour The labour movement or labor movement consists of two main wings: the trade union movement (British English) or labor union movement (American English) on the one hand, and the political labour movement on the other. * The trade union movement ...
in the building industry, and 24 building workers were convicted and six jailed as a result of their picketing activities. The longest sentences were given to
Ricky Tomlinson Eric "Ricky" Tomlinson (born 26 September 1939) is an English actor. He is best known for his television roles as Bobby Grant in '' Brookside'', DCI Charlie Wise in ''Cracker'' and Jim Royle in '' The Royle Family'', and playing the titular cha ...
, a plasterer and TGWU strike leader, and
Des Warren Des Warren (10 October 1937 – 24 April 2004) was a British construction worker, trade union activist and – with Ricky Tomlinson – one of the Shrewsbury Two imprisoned for "conspiracy to intimidate" whilst picketing in Shropshire in 1972. Hi ...
, a steel fixer and leading lay official of UCATT, who became known as the "Shrewsbury Two". At Shrewsbury Crown Court, they refused to testify against fellow strikers. Charges of affray were dropped, but they were found guilty of "
conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agre ...
to intimidate" under the Conspiracy Act 1875, which had not been used for 98 years. Warren was sentenced to three years in prison, and Tomlinson to two. Des Warren subsequently developed serious health problems, which Tomlinson attributes to the medication he took whilst in
solitary confinement Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which the inmate lives in a single cell with little or no meaningful contact with other people. A prison may enforce stricter measures to control contraband on a solitary prisoner and use additi ...
. Tomlinson took the case to the TUC Annual Congress with others in 1975, with little result. In 2004, Des Warren died, without the pardon that his family had campaigned for. In 2012 Tomlinson and others sought to have the convictions overturned by the
Criminal Cases Review Commission The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) is the statutory body responsible for investigating alleged miscarriages of justice in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It was established by Section 8 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 and bega ...
. In 2013 a paper petition was launched, alongside the existing e-petition, for an
Early Day Motion In the Westminster parliamentary system, an early day motion (EDM) is a motion, expressed as a single sentence, tabled by members of Parliament that formally calls for debate "on an early day". In practice, they are rarely debated in the House a ...
by MP
John McDonnell John Martin McDonnell (born 8 September 1951) is a British politician who served as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2015 to 2020. A member of the Labour Party, he has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Hayes and Harlington since 1997. ...
to be brought. In May 2020, the
Criminal Cases Review Commission The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) is the statutory body responsible for investigating alleged miscarriages of justice in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It was established by Section 8 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 and bega ...
referred a number of convictions relating to the Shrewsbury dispute, including that of Ricky Tomlinson, to the Court of Appeal. In March 2021, the Court of Appeal overturned the convictions of Tomlinson, Warren and the other members of the ‘Shrewsbury 24’ who had been convicted in relation to the 1972 industrial action.


1980s–90s: recession and recovery

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, UCATT suffered a long debilitating decline, with successive attacks from a hostile Conservative government. The union faced mounting financial deficits from falling membership rolls, having been reliant upon cash contributions from members collected on site in the age of increasing technology. This decline also coincided with strong rumours of a merger with other unions, notably the TGWU, and gains being made by GMB. During this period, a strong Joint Sites Committee movement of rank and file UCATT, TGWU, GMB and AEEUW members characterised the construction unions' work on sites in major cities, many of whom had remained crowded, unsafe, and casualised places in need of true reform. In 1990, Albert Williams convinced the union to for the first time unionise self-employed labourers (the "lump"), but his unpopular proposal to merge the union into the
Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union The Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union, known as the EETPU, was a British trade union formed in 1968 as a union for electricians and plumbers, which went through three mergers from 1992 to now be part of Unite the Un ...
led to his suspension by the union's executive, and he retired in 1992. UCATT, however, began a revival under the leadership of
George Brumwell George Brent Brumwell (22 October 1939 – 8 November 2005) was a British Trade Union, trade unionist. He was General Secretary of the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT) from 1991 to 2004. Brumwell was born in Hartlep ...
, its new general secretary. He led a turnaround in the union's fortunes by 2001, following cost-containing measures including strategic redundancies and closure of several local offices. This programme all but eliminated the deficits, and built a smaller, but more readily sustainable UCATT. The union ran a 'Safety Culture' campaign across the industry, promoting construction and regeneration, which became part of the strategy of the New Labour government following its election victory in 1997.


2000–2017

In 2006, UCATT, T&G and GMB, the successors to the joint unions of 1972 ran a seven-day strike on the construction of Heathrow Terminal 5 in pursuit of £1.00 on bonus, and back pay. The employer was Laing O'Rourke the successor to John Laing Ltd, one of the big employers of 1972. After the dispute was resolved the strikers received 80% of their original aims and substantial back pay. UCATT represented the views of site workers on the government/industry body, the Strategic Forum for Construction, from 2001 to 2015. Membership continued to dwindle; in December 2012, it had 84,377 workers in construction and allied trades. In May 2016, UCATT's conference voted to seek a merger with
Unite the Union Unite the Union, commonly known as Unite, is a British and Irish trade union which was formed on 1 May 2007 by the merger of Amicus and the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU). Unite is the second largest trade union in the UK (afte ...
, though this would only proceed if approved by a vote of all members. The decision followed a decline in UK membership (from almost 112,000 in 1999 to 54,644 at the end of 2014, plus a further 6,585 in the Republic of Ireland), and mounting financial troubles (it incurred a net deficit of over £3.5 million in 2014 and at year-end had net current liabilities of more than £1 million, leading to “significant doubt about the union’s ability to continue as a going concern”). The merger, approved by 85.5% of members in November 2016 and taking effect from 1 January 2017, spelt the end of a separate or independent construction union but was expected to force employers to negotiate with a larger and more powerful union. UCATT's members in the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
voted to instead transfer to the
Technical Engineering and Electrical Union Connect is a trade union representing construction, electrical, and technical workers in Ireland. History The union came into existence in 2001, when it was named the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU). It arose from an amalgamatio ...
.


Election results

The union sponsored Labour Party candidates in several Parliamentary elections.


Leadership

Following a rule-change in 1995, UCATT had a lay Executive Council to which an elected general secretary reported. Following Brumwell, Alan Ritchie, formerly the Scottish regional secretary, was elected, but was forced to stand down in March 2011 over voting irregularities, with George Guy appointed acting general secretary until the election was re-run in October 2011. Steven Murphy was subsequently elected and took office in 2012.


General Secretaries

:1971: George Smith :1978: Les Wood :1985: Albert Williams :1992:
George Brumwell George Brent Brumwell (22 October 1939 – 8 November 2005) was a British Trade Union, trade unionist. He was General Secretary of the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT) from 1991 to 2004. Brumwell was born in Hartlep ...
:2004:
Alan Ritchie Alan Ritchie (born 1951Gary Daniels and John McIlroy, ''Trade Unions in a Neoliberal World'') is a former Scottish trade unionist. Ritchie left school at the age of fifteen, and became a joiner in a shipyard in Glasgow. He joined the Amalgamate ...
:2012: George Guy (acting) :2012: Steve Murphy :2015: Brian Rye (acting)


Assistant General Secretaries

:1971: Les Wood :1978: Jimmy Hardman


Further reading

Flynn. Laurie (1975), ''The Shrewsbury Two'', in ''Calgagus'' 1, Winter 1975, pp. 39 – 41,


Sources


UCATT family tree


References


External links


The background to the National Builder's Strike 1972 and the trials of the 'Shrewsbury 24' Interview with a UCATT member in Liverpool's 'Nerve' magazineUCATT websiteCatalogue of the UCATT archives
held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick {{Portal, Organised labour Defunct trade unions of the United Kingdom Defunct trade unions of Ireland Building and Wood Workers' International 1971 establishments in the United Kingdom Trade unions established in 1971 Building and construction trade unions British builders Trade unions disestablished in 2017 Unite the Union Trade unions based in London