Clive Jenkins
Encyclopedia
David Clive Jenkins was a British
trade union
leader. "Organising the middle classes", his stated recreation in Who's Who
, sums up both his sense of humour and his achievements in the British trade union movement.
, Wales
. On leaving Port Talbot County Boys' School in 1940 at the age of 14 he started work in the laboratory at a metalworks and continued his education by taking evening classes at Swansea technical college. Three years later he was in charge of the lab and after another two he was a night shift foreman.
), and become a lay official in 1944 when he was elected as secretary of his branch. In 1946 at the age of 20 he left Port Talbot to become a full-time official at ASSET's (the Association of Supervisory Staff, Executives and Technicians
) Birmingham office, where he was appointed assistant divisional secretary. Moving almost immediately to the head office he received rapid promotion as national officer in 1954, deputy general secretary in 1957 and was appointed general secretary in 1961.
At that time ASSET had 23,000 members, a number which had increased to 50,000 by 1969 when ASSET merged with AScW (the Association of Scientific Workers
) to form ASTMS (the Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs
); ASSET, and Jenkins, were the senior partner. In the new union he was joint general secretary with John Dutton of AScW; but by 1970 he was sole general secretary with a vision of what "his" union could become. By the use of advertising (billboard posters were previously unheard of in the movement) he brought trades unionism to the middle classes. Within 15 years ASTMS grew from an initial membership of 65,000 to a figure approaching 500,000.
Clive Jenkins kept himself (and ASTMS) in the public eye, with frequent appearances on television chat shows and his own regular newspaper columns. His wit and turn of phrase ensured that even those who might not like him would certainly remember him. His brash character ensured that more staid trade union leaders kept him off the general council of the TUC
. However he eventually achieved this in 1974 and was chairman of the general council in 1987–88.
Following the Labour Party
's heavy defeat in the 1983 election, Jenkins was instrumental in getting Neil Kinnock
nominated to the leadership of the party. In 1988, shortly after ASTMS merged with TASS (the Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section
) to form MSF (Manufacturing, Science and Finance
), Jenkins unexpectedly announced his retirement. He wrote an autobiography, All Against The Collar (1990).
, Tasmania
, before returning to Britain.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
leader. "Organising the middle classes", his stated recreation in Who's Who
Who's Who (UK)
Who's Who is an annual British publication of biographies which vary in length of about 30,000 living notable Britons.-History:...
, sums up both his sense of humour and his achievements in the British trade union movement.
Early life
He was born in Port TalbotPort Talbot
Port Talbot is a town in Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It had a population of 35,633 in 2001.-History:Port Talbot grew out of the original small port and market town of Aberafan , which belonged to the medieval Lords of Afan. The area of the parish of Margam lying on the west bank of the lower Afan...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. On leaving Port Talbot County Boys' School in 1940 at the age of 14 he started work in the laboratory at a metalworks and continued his education by taking evening classes at Swansea technical college. Three years later he was in charge of the lab and after another two he was a night shift foreman.
Union career
Jenkins had early involvement in his trade union the AScW (Association of Scientific WorkersAssociation of Scientific Workers
The Association of Scientific Workers was a trade union in the UK. It was founded as the National Union of Scientific Workers in 1918, changing its name to the Association of Scientific Workers in 1927....
), and become a lay official in 1944 when he was elected as secretary of his branch. In 1946 at the age of 20 he left Port Talbot to become a full-time official at ASSET's (the Association of Supervisory Staff, Executives and Technicians
Association of Supervisory Staff, Executives and Technicians
The Association of Supervisory Staff, Executives and Technicians , was a British trade union, chiefly representing supervisors in the metal working and transport industries...
) Birmingham office, where he was appointed assistant divisional secretary. Moving almost immediately to the head office he received rapid promotion as national officer in 1954, deputy general secretary in 1957 and was appointed general secretary in 1961.
At that time ASSET had 23,000 members, a number which had increased to 50,000 by 1969 when ASSET merged with AScW (the Association of Scientific Workers
Association of Scientific Workers
The Association of Scientific Workers was a trade union in the UK. It was founded as the National Union of Scientific Workers in 1918, changing its name to the Association of Scientific Workers in 1927....
) to form ASTMS (the Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs
Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs
ASTMS - The Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs was a British trade union, created in 1969 when ASSET merged with the AScW under the leadership of joint general secretaries: Clive Jenkins of ASSET and John Dutton of the AScW.ASSET, the larger of the two...
); ASSET, and Jenkins, were the senior partner. In the new union he was joint general secretary with John Dutton of AScW; but by 1970 he was sole general secretary with a vision of what "his" union could become. By the use of advertising (billboard posters were previously unheard of in the movement) he brought trades unionism to the middle classes. Within 15 years ASTMS grew from an initial membership of 65,000 to a figure approaching 500,000.
Clive Jenkins kept himself (and ASTMS) in the public eye, with frequent appearances on television chat shows and his own regular newspaper columns. His wit and turn of phrase ensured that even those who might not like him would certainly remember him. His brash character ensured that more staid trade union leaders kept him off the general council of the TUC
Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions...
. However he eventually achieved this in 1974 and was chairman of the general council in 1987–88.
Involvement in politics
A Labour government under Harold Wilson was elected in 1974. Jenkins was appointed to the National Research and Development Council (NRDC) from 1974 to 1980. He sat on the committee which produced the Bullock Report (Industrial democracy) (1975-7) and the board of the British National Oil Corporation (1979 to 1982). During the 1975 referendum on Britain's membership of the EEC, Jenkins campaigned for Britain to leave.Following the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
's heavy defeat in the 1983 election, Jenkins was instrumental in getting Neil Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
nominated to the leadership of the party. In 1988, shortly after ASTMS merged with TASS (the Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section
Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section
The Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section was a British trade union.In 1970, the Draughtsmen's and Allied Technicians' Association , Amalgamated Union of Engineering and Foundry Workers and Constructional Engineering Union amalgamated to form the Amalgamated Union of Engineering...
) to form MSF (Manufacturing, Science and Finance
Manufacturing, Science and Finance
Manufacturing, Science and Finance was a trade union in Britain...
), Jenkins unexpectedly announced his retirement. He wrote an autobiography, All Against The Collar (1990).
Retirement
Upon retiring, for a time Clive Jenkins ran a B&B in St HelensSt Helens, Tasmania
St Helens is the largest town on the north-east coast of Tasmania, Australia, on Georges Bay. It is located on the Tasman Highway, about 160 km east of Tasmania's second largest city, Launceston. In the early 2000s, the town was one of the fastest growing areas of Tasmania, and reached a population...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, before returning to Britain.
Books by Clive Jenkins
- British Airlines: a study of nationalised civil aviation (1953). Fabian Research Series, no 158. London: Victor Gollancz.
- Power at the Top: a critical survey of the nationalised industries (1959). London: MacGibbon & Kee.
- Germany’s Balance of Influence: the changing situation in NATO (1960). London: Union of Democratic Control.
- Power behind the Screen: ownership control and motivation in British commercial television (1961). London: MacGibbon & Kee.
- British Trade Unions today (1965). Oxford: Pergamon Press (with James Edward Mortimer)
- Collective bargaining: what you always wanted to know about trade unions and never dared to ask (1977). London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. ISBN 0-7100-8691-1. (with Barrie Sherman).
- Computers and the unions (1977). London: Longman. ISBN 0-582-45017-9 (with Barrie Sherman).
- White-collar unionism: the rebellious salariat (1979). London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. ISBN 0-7100-0237-8 (with Barrie Sherman).
- The collapse of work (1979). London : Eyre Methuen. ISBN 0-413-45760-5 (with Barrie Sherman).
- The leisure shock (1981). London : Eyre Methuen. ISBN 0-413-48210-3 (with Barrie Sherman).
- All against the collar: struggles of a white collar union leader (1990). London: Methuen. ISBN 0-413-39930-3