Tony Woodley
Encyclopedia
Anthony Woodley is a British trade unionist who was the Joint-General Secretary
of the Unite
union which was formed through the merger of Amicus
and the Transport and General Workers Union in 2007. He stood down from that position in January 2011 but remains employed as Head of Organising.
, he was educated at a secondary modern school
on the Wirral
; at the age of 15, he was taken on by the Ocean Steam Ship Company, working as a steward for four years. In 1967, he started working for Vauxhall Motors
at Ellesmere Port
(Hooton Park
), where he joined the TGWU.
. He was appointed as a full-time district official of the TGWU in 1989, later becoming National Officer of the Vehicle Building and Automotive Group, and was elected as TGWU Deputy General Secretary in 2002.
as General Secretary
of the TGWU. He is a member of the so-called "Awkward Squad
" of trade union leaders opposed to New Labour policies that they perceive to be against the interests of working people.
On 30 May 2003 he was elected by the membership to be general secretary of the TGWU. He received 66,958 votes: 21,822 more than the second-placed candidate, Jack Dromey
, who was widely perceived as the Blairite
candidate. He took up the position in October 2003.
After his election he said in an interview with The Independent
newspaper:
Conference, Woodley tore up a copy of The Sun
newspaper as he made a speech. This was following the paper's announcement that they would be supporting the Conservative Party at the 2010 General Election, having backed the winning Labour Party at the previous three elections.
On tearing the paper, he said:
This was a reference to The Suns controversial coverage of the Hillsborough Disaster
20 years earlier, which had caused widespread public outrage, and many people on Merseyside
had still not forgiven the newspaper.
despite being a childhood supporter of Everton FC. He lives in Ellesmere Port. He married Janet Timmis and they have a son (born September 1990).
General secretary
-International intergovernmental organizations:-International nongovernmental organizations:-Sports governing bodies:...
of the Unite
Unite the Union
Unite – the Union, known as Unite, is a British and Irish trade union, formed on 1 May 2007, by the merger of Amicus and the Transport and General Workers' Union...
union which was formed through the merger of 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...
and the Transport and General Workers Union in 2007. He stood down from that position in January 2011 but remains employed as Head of Organising.
Early life
Born in WallaseyWallasey
Wallasey is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England, on the mouth of the River Mersey, at the northeastern corner of the Wirral Peninsula...
, he was educated at a secondary modern school
Secondary modern school
A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed in most of the United Kingdom from 1944 until the early 1970s, under the Tripartite System, and was designed for the majority of pupils - those who do not achieve scores in the top 25% of the eleven plus examination...
on the Wirral
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...
; at the age of 15, he was taken on by the Ocean Steam Ship Company, working as a steward for four years. In 1967, he started working for Vauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors is a British automotive company owned by General Motors and headquartered in Luton. It was founded in 1857 as a pump and marine engine manufacturer, began manufacturing cars in 1903 and was acquired by GM in 1925. It has been the second-largest selling car brand in the UK for...
at Ellesmere Port
Ellesmere Port
Ellesmere Port is a large industrial town and port in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is situated on the south border of the Wirral Peninsula on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal, which in turn gives access to the River...
(Hooton Park
Hooton Park
RAF Hooton Park, on the Wirral Peninsula, Cheshire, was a Royal Air Force station originally built for the Royal Flying Corps in 1917 as a training aerodrome for pilots in World War I. During the early/mid 1930s, it was one of the two airfields handling scheduled services for the Merseyside...
), where he joined the TGWU.
Trade unions
In 1980, he was elected a union convenor; his father George had also been a union convenor at the plant for the National Union of Vehicle BuildersNational Union of Vehicle Builders
The National Union of Vehicle Builders was a trade union in the United Kingdom. It merged with the Transport and General Workers' Union in 1972.-See also:* List of trade unions* Transport and General Workers' Union* TGWU amalgamations...
. He was appointed as a full-time district official of the TGWU in 1989, later becoming National Officer of the Vehicle Building and Automotive Group, and was elected as TGWU Deputy General Secretary in 2002.
TGWU leadership
He came to prominence in June 2003 when he was elected to succeed Bill MorrisBill Morris
William Manuel Morris, Baron Morris of Handsworth, OJ , generally known as Bill Morris, was general secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union from 1992 to 2003, and the first black leader of a British trade union....
as General Secretary
General Secretary
The office of general secretary is staffed by the chief officer of:*The General Secretariat for Macedonia and Thrace, a government agency for the Greek regions of Macedonia and Thrace...
of the TGWU. He is a member of the so-called "Awkward Squad
Awkward Squad (trade unions)
The Awkward Squad is an informal grouping of socialist trade unionists in the United Kingdom. The term was given in 2002-3 to those that opposed what they regarded as the economically liberal policies of the ruling New Labour faction of the Labour Party...
" of trade union leaders opposed to New Labour policies that they perceive to be against the interests of working people.
On 30 May 2003 he was elected by the membership to be general secretary of the TGWU. He received 66,958 votes: 21,822 more than the second-placed candidate, Jack Dromey
Jack Dromey
Jack Dromey MP is a British Labour Party politician and trade unionist, who has been the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Erdington since 2010...
, who was widely perceived as the Blairite
Blairite
In British politics, the term Blairism refers to the political ideology of former leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister Tony Blair, who left both positions in 2007 to become Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East...
candidate. He took up the position in October 2003.
After his election he said in an interview with The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
newspaper:
- "A priority for stronger unions in the workplace must be a repeal of the anti-union laws ... British employment laws make it easier and cheaper to sack workers than on the Continent. I will campaign to stop the scandal of British workers being the cannon fodder of Europe."
Sun newspaper
At the 2009 Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Conference, Woodley tore up a copy of The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
newspaper as he made a speech. This was following the paper's announcement that they would be supporting the Conservative Party at the 2010 General Election, having backed the winning Labour Party at the previous three elections.
On tearing the paper, he said:
- "In Liverpool, we learnt a long time ago what to do [tear the paper]. I suggest the rest of the country does the same thing."
This was a reference to The Suns controversial coverage of the Hillsborough Disaster
Hillsborough disaster
The Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, and 766 being injured, all fans of Liverpool F.C....
20 years earlier, which had caused widespread public outrage, and many people on Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
had still not forgiven the newspaper.
Personal life
Woodley is also the President of Football Conference North side Vauxhall Motors F.C.Vauxhall Motors F.C.
Vauxhall Motors Football Club is an English football club based in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, who play in the Conference North. It was originally the works team of the car manufacturer Vauxhall...
despite being a childhood supporter of Everton FC. He lives in Ellesmere Port. He married Janet Timmis and they have a son (born September 1990).