Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs
Encyclopedia
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...
, created in 1969 when ASSET (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...
) merged with the 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....
) under the leadership of joint general secretaries: Clive Jenkins
Clive Jenkins
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....
of ASSET and John Dutton of the AScW.
ASSET, the larger of the two unions, began as the National Foremen's Association and chiefly represented supervisors in metal working and transport. Covering both the public and private sectors, AScW largely represented laboratory and technical workers in universities, the National Health Service
National Health Service (England)
The National Health Service or NHS is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. It is both the largest and oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. It is able to function in the way that it does because it is primarily funded through the general taxation system, similar to how...
and in chemical and metal manufacturing; the AScW was the organisation for scientists with a conscience, and could name half-a-dozen Nobel prize winners amongst its membership.
By the end of 1970 Clive Jenkins had become sole general secretary of the union. With advertising and personal appearances on television he kept ASTMS in the public's eye, within 15 years the union had expanded from 65,000 members to a figure approaching 500,000. This was achieved both by individual recruitment and by merging with staff associations, such as the Medical Practitioners' Union
Medical Practitioners' Union
The Medical Practitioners' Union is a section of Unite the Union, a trade union in the United Kingdom.The union was founded as the Medico-Political Union in 1914 and was renamed the Medical Practitioners' Union in 1922. It amalgamated with the Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial...
, the United Commercial Travellers' Association of Great Britain and Ireland, the Union of Insurance Staffs
Union of Insurance Staffs
The Union of Insurance Staffs was a trade union in the United Kingdom for workers in the insurance industry. It was founded in 1919 as the Guild of Insurance Officials, and merged with the Association of Scientific, Technical and Management Staff in 1970....
and the Prudential Assurance Staff Association. The number of mergers was eventually to exceed 30.
In 1976 trade union activist Sheila McKechnie
Sheila McKechnie
Dame Sheila Marshall McKechnie, DBE was a Scottish trade unionist, housing campaigner and consumer activist....
was appointed as the full time Health and Safety Director of ASTMS. McKechnie remained with ASTMS until her appointment as Chief Executive of the homeless charity Shelter
Shelter (charity)
Shelter is a registered charity in England and Scotland that campaigns to end homelessness and bad housing. It gives advice, information and advocacy to people in need, and tackles the root causes of bad housing by lobbying government and local authorities for new laws and policies to improve the...
.
In 1988 ASTMS was to merge with TASS (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...
), the federated white collar section of the AUEW (Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers) to form MSF (Manufacturing, Science and Finance
Manufacturing, Science and Finance
Manufacturing, Science and Finance was a trade union in Britain...
). On January 1, 2002 MSF was to amalgamate with the AEEU (Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union
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 successor to AUEW) to form Amicus
Amicus
Amicus was the United Kingdom's second-largest trade union, and the largest private sector union, formed by the merger of Manufacturing Science and Finance, the AEEU agreed in 2001, and two smaller unions, UNIFI and the GPMU...
.
On 1 May 2007 Amicus
Amicus
Amicus was the United Kingdom's second-largest trade union, and the largest private sector union, formed by the merger of Manufacturing Science and Finance, the AEEU agreed in 2001, and two smaller unions, UNIFI and the GPMU...
merged with the TGWU to form Unite
Unite
- Labor unions :*Unite the Union, a British and Irish trade union, formed by the merger of Amicus and T&G*Unite Union, a trade union in New Zealand*Unite Union , a trade union in Australia...
, which is the biggest trade union in the UK.
General Secretaries
- 1969: John Dutton and Clive JenkinsClive JenkinsDavid 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....
- 1970: Clive JenkinsClive JenkinsDavid 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....