The GMB is a

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

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

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

which has more than 460,000 members. Its members work in nearly all industrial sectors, in retail, security, schools, distribution, the utilities, social care, the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

(NHS), ambulance service and local government.

Structural history

GMB originates from a series of mergers, beginning when the

National Amalgamated Union of Labour The National Amalgamated Union of Labour (NAUL) was a general union in the United Kingdom. History The trade union was founded in Feb 1889 as the United Tyne and District Labourers Association and in March 1889 the Amalgamated Society of Shipyar ...

(NAUL), National Union of General Workers (NUGW) and the

Municipal Employees Association The Municipal Employees' Association was a trade union representing local government workers in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in 1888 as the London County Council Employees' Protection Association, to represent workers at the London ...

(MEA) in 1924 joined into a new union, named the National Union of General and Municipal Workers (NUGMW). Although the new union was one of the largest in the country it grew relatively slowly over the following decades; this changed in the 1970s when

David Basnett David Basnett, Baron Basnett (9 February 1924 – 25 January 1989) was a British trade union leader. Born in Liverpool, Basnett studied at Quarry Bank High School before becoming a bank clerk. He served as a pilot with the Royal Air Force dur ...

created new sections for staff, and hotel and catering workers, and changed the union's name to the General and Municipal Workers' Union (GMWU) in 1974. In 1982, following a merger with the

Amalgamated Society of Boilermakers, Shipwrights, Blacksmiths and Structural Workers The Amalgamated Society of Boilermakers, Shipwrights, Blacksmiths and Structural Workers (ASB) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. Many of its members worked in shipbuilding, in which industry it was the leading trade union, while over t ...

(ASBSBSW), the union was renamed the General, Municipal, Boilermakers' and Allied Trade Union (GMBATU). This was sometimes shortened to "GMB", which in 1987 became the official name of the union. For several years following the highly contested merger boilermaker members retained a distinct identity in GMB's Craft Section. The union has absorbed the following smaller unions: *1924:

Chatham Government Labourers' Union Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswi ...

, St Helens Sheet Glass Flatteners' Trade Protection Society *1929: Cumberland Iron Ore Miners and Kindred Trades Association *1931: Cleveland Ironstone Quarrymens' Association, North Yorkshire and Cleveland Miners' Association *1933: Saw Grinders Trades Protection Society of Sheffield *1934: Amalgamated National Union of Quarryworkers and Settmakers *1935: Southern Counties Agricultural and Rural Workers *1936: National Society of Woolcombers and Allied Trades, Welsh Artisans' United Association *1938: Saw Handle Makers' Trade Society of Sheffield *1946: Aircraft Inspectors' Association,

National Edge Tool Trade Society National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...

GMB Union banner at a demonstration in 2018

1955: South Durham and North Yorkshire Salt Makers' Union *1957: National Cutlery Union *1958: British Airways Administrative Staffs Association *1962:

Elastic Web Weavers' Union Elastic is a word often used to describe or identify certain types of elastomer, elastic used in garments or stretchable fabrics. Elastic may also refer to: Alternative name * Rubber band, ring-shaped band of rubber used to hold objects togethe ...

*1964:

Amalgamated Union of File Trades Amalgamation is the process of combining or uniting multiple entities into one form. Amalgamation, amalgam, and other derivatives may refer to: Mathematics and science * Amalgam (chemistry), the combination of mercury with another metal **Pan ama ...

, Ulster Transport and Allied Operatives Union *1965:

Stoke Prior Salt Makers', Mechanics' and General Labourers' Union Stoke is a common place name in the United Kingdom. Stoke may refer to: Places United Kingdom The largest city called Stoke is Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. See below. Berkshire * Stoke Row, Berkshire Bristol * Stoke Bishop * Sto ...

*1966:

HM Stationery Staff Machine Association HM or hm may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''HM'' (magazine), a Christian hard rock magazine * Hidden Machine, a type of item in Pokémon Businesses * H&M, a Swedish clothing company * Hindustan Motors, an automobile manufacturer of India * ...

*1968: Scottish Metal Workers' Union, Scottish Operative Glaziers' Society, Wool, Yarn and Warehouse Workers' Union *1969: Union of Salt, Chemical and Industrial General Workers, Winsford Salt Makers *1972:

Manchester Warehouse Employees Association Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

National Union of Waterworks Employees The National Union of Water Works Employees (NUWWE) was a trade union representing staff at water works in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in 1906 as the Metropolitan Water Board Employees' Association. Initially, it had close links with ...

*1974: BSR Staff Association,

National Pen Workers' Federation National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...

United Rubber, Plastic and Allied Workers' Union {{short description, Former trade union of the United Kingdom The United Rubber Workers of Great Britain was an organisation representing workers involved in the processing of rubber and other waterproof materials in the United Kingdom. The union ...

*1975:

Scottish Football Players' Union Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: * Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland * Scottish English * Scottish national identity, the Scottish ...

*1979: Coopers and Allied Workers' Federation of Great Britain *1982:

Northern Ireland Professional Footballers' Association Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a r ...

*1983:

Scottish Lace and Textile Workers' Union The Scottish Lace and Textile Workers' Union was a trade union representing textile workers in Scotland. History The union was founded in 1890 as the Newmilns and District Textile Workers' Union and Friendly Benefit Society, a local union represen ...

*1986: Amalgamated Textile Warehouse Operatives (two branches),

Amalgamated Textile Workers' Union The Amalgamated Textile Workers' Union (ATWU) was a trade union in Great Britain.G. P. and S. P. A. Henderson, ''Directory of British Associations & Associations in Ireland'' (8th Edition), p.7 History The union was founded in 1974, when the Am ...

(plus eight affiliates) *1988: Greater London Staff Association *1989: Association of Professional, Executive and Computer Staff,

Association of Professional Music Therapists Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal * Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry * Voluntary associat ...

*1990: Legal Aid Staff Association, National Union of Labour Organisers *1991:

Furniture, Timber and Allied Trades Union The Furniture, Timber and Allied Trades Union (FTAT) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. History The union was founded in 1971 by the merger of the National Union of Furniture Trade Operatives (NUFTO) and the Amalgamated Society of Woodc ...

National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

*1998:

British Gas Managers' Association 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, ...

*2000: Managerial and Professional Officers *2002:

International Union of Sex Workers The International Union of Sex Workers (IUSW) is a United Kingdom-based trade union for sex workers. It campaigns for the decriminalisation of prostitution, and to have sex work acknowledged as viable labour. In 2002, members voted to affiliate wi ...

*2007:

General Union of Loom Overlookers The General Union of Loom Overlookers (GULO) was a trade union representing junior supervisors in textile manufacturing in the United Kingdom. While most members were based in Lancashire, it also had members in Yorkshire, East Anglia and Essex. ...

*2008:

Ambulance Service Union An ambulance is a medically equipped vehicle which transports patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to medi ...

*2010: Community and District Nursing Association *2015:

Unity Unity may refer to: Buildings * Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building * Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper * Unity Buildings, Liverpool, UK; two buildings in England * Unity Chapel, Wyoming, Wisconsin, US; a ...

In 1992, the GMB for the first time allocated all of its members to one of eight industrial sections: clothing and textiles; commercial services; construction, furniture and allied; energy and utilities; engineering; food and leisure; process; and public services.Arthur Marsh and John B. Smethurst, ''Historical Directory of Trade Unions'', vol.5, pp.438-440, 486-488 The GMB's sections were rationalised in 2006, with the union since then consisting of GMB Commercial Services, GMB Manufacturing, and GMB Public Services.

Thorne Credit Union

Thorne Credit Union Limited is a savings and loans

co-operative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

established by the trade union for its members in 1998. Trading as TCU Money, it began life as GMB Lancashire Region Credit Union and was rolled out nationwide in 2000. TCU is named after Will Thorne, founder of NUGW forerunner, the

National Union of Gas Workers and General Labourers The National Union of General Workers (NUGW) was an early general union in the United Kingdom, the most important general union of its era. History The union was founded in 1889 as the National Union of Gas Workers and General Labourers by Wil ...

and one of the first Labour

Members of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

. The

credit union A credit union, a type of financial institution similar to a commercial bank, is a member-owned nonprofit financial cooperative. Credit unions generally provide services to members similar to retail banks, including deposit accounts, provis ...

is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the

Financial Conduct Authority The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is a financial regulatory body in the United Kingdom, but operates independently of the UK Government, and is financed by charging fees to members of the financial services industry. The FCA regulates financ ...

and the PRA. Ultimately, like the banks and building societies, members' savings are protected against business failure by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

Landmark Uber employment tribunal case

On 28 October 2016, in a landmark ruling if not overturned on appeal, the

Central London Employment Tribunal Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

ruled that

Uber Uber Technologies, Inc. (Uber), based in San Francisco, provides mobility as a service, ride-hailing (allowing users to book a car and driver to transport them in a way similar to a taxi), food delivery ( Uber Eats and Postmates), pa ...

drivers are "workers" entitled to the

minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation by the end of the 20th century. B ...

, paid holiday, sick leave and other normal worker entitlements, rather than self-employed. Two Uber drivers had brought the case to the employment tribunal with the assistance of the GMB Union on 20 July 2016, as a test case on behalf of a group of 19 drivers. As a consequence, The Pensions Regulator is considering if the ruling obliges Uber to create a workplace pension scheme. The ruling could have implications wider than just Uber, throughout the so-called

gig economy Gig workers are independent contractors, online platform workers, contract firm workers, on-call workers, and temporary workers. Gig workers enter into formal agreements with on-demand companies to provide services to the company's clients. In m ...

. On 10 November 2017 the

Employment Appeal Tribunal The Employment Appeal Tribunal is a tribunal in England and Wales and Scotland, and is a superior court of record. Its primary role is to hear appeals from Employment Tribunals in England, Scotland and Wales. It also hears appeals from decision ...

upheld the first tribunal's ruling. Uber indicated that it would appeal further. The law firm

Leigh Day Martyn Day is a British solicitor specializing in international, environmental and product liability claims who founded – and is the Senior Partner of – the law firm Leigh Day. He was a director of Greenpeace Environmental Trust, having stepp ...

started the legal action against Uber on behalf of 25 members of the GMB union, which initially included J. Farrar and Y. Aslam, although the two pursued this latest case with a different union, the Independent Worker's Union of Great Britain. On 10 February 2017 a similar case involving

Pimlico Plumbers Pimlico Plumbers is a London-based plumbing firm established in 1979. With revenues of £20m as of 2015, it is London's largest independent plumbing company. Establishment Pimlico Plumbers was established in 1979 by its current managing direct ...

was confirmed at the

Court of Appeal A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much ...

. A worker who had suffered a heart attack was found to have been unfairly or wrongfully dismissed. Another similar case against parcel delivery company

Hermes Group Hermes Europe GmbH is a German delivery company headquartered in Hamburg, owned by the retail company Otto GmbH. History The company was founded in 1972 in West Germany and entered the market in East Germany in 1990. It expanded to France ...

, supported by the GMB through lawyers Leigh Day, had a similar outcome at an employment tribunal in Leeds on 25 June 2018. Hermes are considering an appeal. The GMB stated the ruling was likely to affect 14,500 Hermes couriers. General Secretary, Tim Roache, described it as:

Political activity

GMB is one of the three largest affiliates to the Labour Party. It is a significant financial contributor to the Party's national and local organisation. GMB gives Labour up to £2m a year in affiliation fees and other funds, making it the third largest union donor to the party. In 1991, GMB was the first British trade union to set up an office in Brussels and has been particularly engaged in seeking to influence

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

legislation that sets minimum standards for workers and for health and safety across the EU single market. In 2008, GMB Congress voted to withdraw local funding from around a third of the 108 Labour MPs whose constituencies received support from GMB, due to the perception that some MPs within the party were treating workers with "contempt" and generally not working in the interests of the working class and GMB members. Despite this the Congress opposed disaffiliation from the party. In the 2010 Labour Leadership Election, GMB endorsed

Ed Miliband Edward Samuel "Ed" Miliband (born 24 December 1969) is a British politician serving as Shadow Secretary of State for Climate Change and Net Zero since 2021. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Doncaster North since 2005. Miliba ...

over his competitor and brother

David Miliband David Wright Miliband (born 15 July 1965) is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the International Rescue Committee and a former British Labour Party politician. He was the Foreign Secretary from 2007 to 2010 and the Member of ...

. In 2013, GMB announced it was cutting its affiliation fund from £1.2m to £150,000 by reducing the number of members it affiliates from 420,000 to 50,000. In 2013, GMB Congress, the lay member ruling body, adopted a 14-point plan to encourage GMB members to become active in the Labour Party and to stand as Labour candidates for public office (Parliament and local government). GMB has two representatives on the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Labour Party, Mary Turner and Cath Speight. In Ireland, GMB is affiliated to the Irish Labour Party. While in the 2015 Labour leadership election GMB didn't endorse a candidate, in the 2016 Labour leadership election, the union endorsed Owen Smith against incumbent leader

Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. On the political left of the Labour Party, Corbyn describes himself as a socialis ...

. Under

's leadership of the Labour Party, the GMB clashed with the party over the issues of Trident renewal and

fracking Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of bedrock formations by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure injection of "frac ...

, both of which are opposed by Corbyn. In the 2020 Labour leadership election, the GMB endorsed

Lisa Nandy Lisa Eva Nandy (born 9 August 1979) is a British politician serving as Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities since 2021. A member of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, she has been Member of Parliament (United Kin ...

, who subsequently finished last in the final round of voting.

Leadership

The GMB is led by a general secretary and treasurer. In 2005

Paul Kenny Sir Paul Stephen Kenny (born 31 October 1949) is a British former trade union leader. He served as General Secretary of the GMB, Britain's third biggest union. Early life Kenny left school at 15 and went to work for Fuller, Smith & Turner' ...

was appointed the acting general secretary, in place of Kevin Curran who stepped down after being suspended on full pay during an inquiry into ballot-rigging during the union's leadership election. The episode was seen as a power struggle between the national office and powerful regional heads, led by Kenny, who opposed centralisation. Kenny had lost the 2003 vote to Curran. In May 2006, Kenny was elected unopposed as general secretary.

Tim Roache Timothy John Roache (born 6 April 1962) is a British trade unionist who served as General Secretary of the GMB union from 2016 to 2020. Union career Roache was born on 6 April 1962 and grew up in London, where his father was a shop steward on ...

was elected as general secretary and treasurer in November 2015, receiving 56.7% of the vote on a turnout of 4.2%, beating the one other candidate, Paul McCarthy. Roache took up the post in 2016, but resigned in April 2020 after allegations of harassment.

General Secretaries

:1924: Will Thorne :1934:

Charles Dukes Charles Dukes, 1st Baron Dukeston CBE (28 October 1881 – 14 May 1948) was a British trade unionist and Labour Party politician. Born in Stourbridge, Dukes left school at the age of eleven, taking up work as an errand boy. When his family move ...

:1946: Tom Williamson :1962: Jack Cooper :1973:

:1986: John Edmonds :2003:

Kevin Curran Kevin Curran may refer to: * Kevin Curran (cricketer) (1959–2012), Zimbabwean cricketer * Kevin Curran (cricketer, born 1928) (1928–2017), Zimbabwean cricketer * Kevin Curran (footballer, born 1919) (1919–1986), Australian rules footballer fo ...

:2005:

:2016:

:2021: Gary Smith

Deputy General Secretaries

This post was known as "assistant general secretary" until 1935. :1924:

Peter Tevenan Peter Joseph Tevenan (20 June 1857 – 11 April 1943) was an Irish-British trade unionist and politician. Born in County Galway, Tevenan moved with his family to Liverpool when he was a young child. The family then settled in Chesterfield, Derby ...

and Ralph Spence :1933: Ralph Spence :1935: ''Post abolished'' :1991: Tom Burlison :1996: Steve Pickering :2003:

Debbie Coulter Debbie Coulter ( Allen, born 1960/1961) is a British former trade union leader. Born in Egremont as Debbie Allen, she attended St Mary's Comprehensive School in Wallasey, then worked in office administration for various companies. When she was ...

:2008: ''Post vacant''

Presidents

This position was known as "Chair of the Executive" or "National Chairman" from 1938 until the early 1990s. :1924:

J. R. Clynes John Robert Clynes (27 March 1869 – 23 October 1949) was a British trade unionist and Labour Party politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for 35 years, and as Leader of the Labour Party (1921–1922), led the party in its breakthroug ...

:1938:

Fred Marshall Fred, Frederick or Frederic Marshall may refer to: *Fred Marshall (American politician) (1906–1985), U.S. politician *Fred Marshall (British politician) Fred Marshall (10 March 1883 – 1 November 1962) was a British politician. Born in Sout ...

:1946: Thomas William Kerry :1949: William E. Hopkin :1952: Jack Cooper :1962: Bernard Swindell :1964: Charles Smith :1970:

Alex M. Donnet Alexander Mitchell Donnet, Baron Donnet of Balgay (26 June 1916 – 14 May 1985) was a Scottish trade unionist. Donnet grew up in Dundee, where he attended the Harris Academy. He joined the National Union of General and Municipal Workers in 1935 ...

:1976: Derek Gladwin :1982: Dick Pickering :1987: James Morrell :1988: Olga Mean :1992: Dick Pickering :1997: Mary Turner :2018: Barbara Plant

2020 internal inquiry

In 2020, following the resignation of general secretary

and subsequently receiving anonymous allegations, the union conducted a barrister-led internal inquiry. This concluded that bullying, misogyny, cronyism and sexual harassment were "endemic" within the union. More specifically the report stated "The GMB is institutionally sexist. The General Secretaries and all regional secretaries are, and always have been, men. Women are underrepresented throughout the GMB’s ranks", concluding that culture must change for the GMB to become a safe and rewarding place for women. The report made 27 recommendations for change, on which the union's National President, Barbara Plant, promised to act.

Sports sponsorship

The GMB sponsors the

Nottingham Panthers The Nottingham Panthers are a British professional ice hockey club based in Nottingham, England. They are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League. Their main team sponsor is the Nottingham Building Society. The Nottingham Panthers have won fo ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

team and the

Castleford Tigers The Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club in Castleford, West Yorkshire, England, that compete in the Super League, the top-level professional rugby league club competition in the Northern Hemisphere. The club have compete ...

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

team. Until May 2011 it sponsored

Swindon Town Football Club Swindon Town Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at ...

, but when

Paolo Di Canio Paolo Di Canio (born 9 July 1968) is an Italian former professional footballer and manager. During his playing career he made over 500 league appearances and scored over one hundred goals as a forward. He primarily played as a deep-lying forward ...

was appointed manager the GMB terminated the relationship because of Di Canio's political views. A GMB spokesman said: "He has openly voiced support for Mussolini so it beggars belief that Swindon could have appointed him, especially given the multi-ethnic nature of the team and the town." The union sponsored

Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley of ...

for the 2013–14 football season.

References

External links

*
Thorne Credit UnionGMB family tree
on th
Trade Union Ancestors
website
Catalogue of the NUGMW 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 collecti ...

* https://www.google.com/business/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Gmb (Trade Union) 1924 establishments in the United Kingdom Credit unions of the United Kingdom General unions Organisations based in the London Borough of Camden Trade unions established in 1924 Trade unions in the United Kingdom Trade unions affiliated with the Labour Party (UK) Trade unions based in London Trade unions affiliated with the Trades Union Congress