Confederation of Health Service Employees
Encyclopedia
The Confederation of Health Service Employees (COHSE) was a United Kingdom
trade union
representing workers primarily in the National Health Service
. It was founded in 1946 with the merger of the Mental Hospital and Institutional Workers Union
and the Hospital and Welfare Services Union
, with the aim of having one union to represent workers in the National Health Service
on its formation.
Major COHSE campaigns include
1948 Nursing Students Pay
1959 Unofficial Overtime ban
1962 Nurses Pay (Lets twist again)
1972-73 Ancillary Pay strikes (Low pay)
1974 Nurses Pay (Halsbury)
1974 ? Private Patients Dispute
1979 Public Sector Pay (Winter of Discontent)
1982 NHS Staff Pay campaign (12%claim)
1988 Nurses Pay (Clinical Grading)
1989-1990 Ambulance Dispute
In 1993, COHSE merged with two other trade unions - NUPE (the National Union of Public Employees
) and NALGO (the National Association of Local Government Officers
) - to form UNISON
, the largest public sector trade union in the UK.
Claude Bartlett, Ivybridge, Devon President 1927-1946 Mental Hospital and Institutional Workers Union
and COHSE 1946 until 1964
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...
representing workers primarily in the National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
. It was founded in 1946 with the merger of the Mental Hospital and Institutional Workers Union
Mental Hospital and Institutional Workers Union
The Mental Hospital and Institutional Workers' Union was a trade union in the United Kingdom.The union was established as the National Asylum Workers' Union in 1910 by asylum attendants in Lancashire...
and the Hospital and Welfare Services Union
Hospital and Welfare Services Union
The Hospital and Welfare Services Union was established in 1918 as the Poor Law Workers Trade Union, In 1922 changed its name to Poor Law Officers Union, 1930 to the National Union of County Officers and in 1943 to the Hospital and Welfare Services Union.It was Vincent Evans a deputy clerk at...
, with the aim of having one union to represent workers in the National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
on its formation.
Major COHSE campaigns include
1948 Nursing Students Pay
1959 Unofficial Overtime ban
1962 Nurses Pay (Lets twist again)
1972-73 Ancillary Pay strikes (Low pay)
1974 Nurses Pay (Halsbury)
1974 ? Private Patients Dispute
1979 Public Sector Pay (Winter of Discontent)
1982 NHS Staff Pay campaign (12%claim)
1988 Nurses Pay (Clinical Grading)
1989-1990 Ambulance Dispute
In 1993, COHSE merged with two other trade unions - NUPE (the National Union of Public Employees
National Union of Public Employees
The National Union of Public Employees was a British trade union which represented public sector workers. The union was founded in 1908 as the National Union of Corporation Workers, which split from the Municipal Employees Association, following Albin Taylor's dismissal as General Secretary...
) and NALGO (the National Association of Local Government Officers
National Association of Local Government Officers
The National and Local Government Officers Association was a British trade union representing mostly local government "white collar" workers. It was formed in 1905 as the National Association of Local Government Officers, and changed its full name in 1952 while retaining its widely-used acronym,...
) - to form UNISON
UNISON
UNISON is the largest trade union in the United Kingdom with over 1.3 million members.The union was formed in 1993 when three public sector trade unions, the National and Local Government Officers Association , the National Union of Public Employees and the Confederation of Health Service...
, the largest public sector trade union in the UK.
General Secretaries
- 1946: George GibsonGeorge Gibson (trade unionist)George Gibson CH was a British mental hospital attendant, trade unionist and public servant, who was general secretary of the National Asylum Workers' Union, Mental Hospital and Institutional Workers' Union and Confederation of Health Service Employees from 1913 to 1948...
- 1947: Cliff Comer
- 1953: Jack Waite
- 1958: Jack JepsonJack JepsonJack D. Jepson is a former association football player who represented New Zealand at international level.Jepson made a single appearance in an official international for the All Whites in a 1-4 loss to Australia on 18 July 1936.-External links:...
- 1967: Dick Akers
- 1969: Frank Lynch
- 1974: Albert Spanswick
- 1983: David Williams
- 1987: Hector MacKenzie
Claude Bartlett, Ivybridge, Devon President 1927-1946 Mental Hospital and Institutional Workers Union
Mental Hospital and Institutional Workers Union
The Mental Hospital and Institutional Workers' Union was a trade union in the United Kingdom.The union was established as the National Asylum Workers' Union in 1910 by asylum attendants in Lancashire...
and COHSE 1946 until 1964