George Smith was a British

British people

The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...

 trade unionist.

Born near Dundee

Dundee

Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...

, Smith worked as a carpenter

Carpenter

A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....

 and became active in the Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers

Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers

The Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers was a British trades union representing carpenters, joiners and allied trades. The ASW was formed in 1921 by the amalgamation of two smaller unions...

. He also joined the Communist Party of Great Britain

Communist Party of Great Britain

The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...

. He was elected general secretary of the Woodworkers in 1959, and left the Communist Party soon after. When the Woodworkers merged with other unions to form the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians

Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians

The Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians is a British and Irish trade union which represents, as of December 2009, 127,433 workers in construction and allied trades, an increase of nearly 17,000 since 2003....

, Smith became its first General Secretary, serving until his death in 1981. For much of his career, he was identified with the right-wing in the trade union movement.