Eric Hammond
Encyclopedia
Eric Albert Barrett Hammond, OBE
, (17 July 1929 – 30 May 2009) was general secretary of the EETPU
, a British
trade union, from 1984 to 1992.
Hammond was born in Northfleet
, Kent
, and was evacuated to Newfoundland
, Canada
during World War II
, returning to the UK in 1945. He served his apprenticeship as an electrician with the Bowater
paper company, and in 1950 was called up for national service, serving for two years with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
.
In 1947 he joined the Labour party. Hammond, like his predecessors Leslie Cannon
and Frank Chapple
, ostensibly started his career on the Left, but, unlike them, was never an actual member of the Communist party
. In 1977 he was appointed an OBE
.
In 1982 he was elected to succeed Chapple as general secretary of the EETPU, a post he occupied fully from 1984. For the next eight years, until his retirement in 1992, Hammond opposed almost everything in the tradition of conventional trade unionism, for which he was referred to as "right wing". The most famous example was "no strike" clauses. Eric Hammond and Arthur Scargill
famously fell out at the 1984 TUC conference when he described the 1984-85 miners' strike as "lions led by donkeys
". He refused to take the electricians in to the strike on the side of the miners, even though many the union's members wanted to, and thus without the power of the electricians it is thought he prolonged the strike for many months.
He pioneered the merger with the powerful engineering union, the AEU, to form the AEEU
, a combined force that was then the largest union in Britain. The newly combined union was born shortly before he retired, but only Hammond's retirement allowed the electricians back into the TUC fold. Further mergers saw it absorbed into Amicus (2001) and Unite (2007).
He died on 30 May 2009, aged 79, after a lengthy illness. He was survived by his wife Brenda and their two sons.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, (17 July 1929 – 30 May 2009) was general secretary of the EETPU
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.-History:...
, a British
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, from 1984 to 1992.
Hammond was born in Northfleet
Northfleet
Northfleet is a town in the Borough of Gravesham in Kent, England. Its name is derived from North creek , and the settlement on the shore of the River Thames adjacent to Gravesend was known as Norfluet in the Domesday Book, and Northflet in 1201...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, and was evacuated to Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, returning to the UK in 1945. He served his apprenticeship as an electrician with the Bowater
Bowater
Bowater was an American pulp and paper company based in Greenville, South Carolina. Bowater had 12 pulp and paper mills in the United States, Canada and South Korea and 13 North American sawmills. It had approximately 10,000 employees...
paper company, and in 1950 was called up for national service, serving for two years with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers is a corps of the British Army that has responsibility for the maintenance, servicing and inspection of almost every electrical and mechanical piece of equipment within the British Army from Challenger II main battle tanks and WAH64 Apache...
.
In 1947 he joined the Labour party. Hammond, like his predecessors Leslie Cannon
Leslie Cannon
Sir Leslie Cannon was a prominent union official and served as General President of the Electrical Trades Union from 1963 to 1970. He was born in Wigan, the son of a coalminer, and became a Communist activist, and trade union leader; member of Electrical Trades Union Executive Council, North...
and Frank Chapple
Frank Chapple
Frank Chapple was general secretary of the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union , a leading British trade union....
, ostensibly started his career on the Left, but, unlike them, was never an actual member of the Communist party
Communist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
. In 1977 he was appointed an OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
.
In 1982 he was elected to succeed Chapple as general secretary of the EETPU, a post he occupied fully from 1984. For the next eight years, until his retirement in 1992, Hammond opposed almost everything in the tradition of conventional trade unionism, for which he was referred to as "right wing". The most famous example was "no strike" clauses. Eric Hammond and Arthur Scargill
Arthur Scargill
Arthur Scargill is a British politician who was President of the National Union of Mineworkers from 1982 to 2002, leading the union through the 1984–85 miners' strike, a key event in British labour and political history...
famously fell out at the 1984 TUC conference when he described the 1984-85 miners' strike as "lions led by donkeys
Lions led by donkeys
"Lions led by donkeys" is a phrase popularly used to describe the British infantry of the First World War and to condemn the generals who commanded them. The contention is that the brave soldiers were sent to their deaths by incompetent and indifferent leaders...
". He refused to take the electricians in to the strike on the side of the miners, even though many the union's members wanted to, and thus without the power of the electricians it is thought he prolonged the strike for many months.
He pioneered the merger with the powerful engineering union, the AEU, to form the AEEU
Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union
The Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union was a British trade union. It merged with the MSF to form Amicus in 2001.The history of the union can be traced back to the formation of the "Old Mechanics" of 1826, which grew into the Amalgamated Society of Engineers in 1851...
, a combined force that was then the largest union in Britain. The newly combined union was born shortly before he retired, but only Hammond's retirement allowed the electricians back into the TUC fold. Further mergers saw it absorbed into Amicus (2001) and Unite (2007).
He died on 30 May 2009, aged 79, after a lengthy illness. He was survived by his wife Brenda and their two sons.
See also
- Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing UnionElectrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing UnionThe Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union, known as the EETPU was a British trade union formed in 1968 as a union for electricians.-History:...
- Wapping disputeWapping disputeThe Wapping dispute was, along with the miners' strike of 1984-5, a significant turning point in the history of the trade union movement and of UK industrial relations...