Tom Jones (trade unionist)
Encyclopedia
Tom Jones was a British
trade unionist.
Born in Ledbury
, Herefordshire
, he worked in his father's tin plate business, before moving to London in 1839, where he joined the Operative Tin Plate Workers Society. In 1859, he acted in support of the London builders' strike, the movement which produced the London Trades Council
, and Jones was elected as its first secretary, serving only one year. In the same year, he was elected as Secretary of the Tin Plate Workers, while, in 1861, he published the first national trade union directory, and helped launch the trade union journal, The Bee-Hive.
Jones was also known for his tall silk hats, always worn at an unusual angle. After standing down from his trade union posts in 1865, he became a foreman at R. W. Wilson, but he remained a union member and received a pension from them from 1892. He retired to Ledbury, where he lived to the age of ninety-four.
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 in Ledbury
Ledbury
Ledbury is a town in Herefordshire, England, lying east of Hereford, and south of the Malvern Hills.Today, Ledbury is a thriving market town in rural England. The town has a large number of timber framed buildings, in particular along Church Lane and High Street. One of Ledbury's most outstanding...
, Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, he worked in his father's tin plate business, before moving to London in 1839, where he joined the Operative Tin Plate Workers Society. In 1859, he acted in support of the London builders' strike, the movement which produced the London Trades Council
London Trades Council
The London Trades Council was an early labour organisation, uniting London's trade unionists. Its modern successor organisation is the Greater London Association of Trades Councils...
, and Jones was elected as its first secretary, serving only one year. In the same year, he was elected as Secretary of the Tin Plate Workers, while, in 1861, he published the first national trade union directory, and helped launch the trade union journal, The Bee-Hive.
Jones was also known for his tall silk hats, always worn at an unusual angle. After standing down from his trade union posts in 1865, he became a foreman at R. W. Wilson, but he remained a union member and received a pension from them from 1892. He retired to Ledbury, where he lived to the age of ninety-four.