Tony Burke (British trade unionist)

"Tony Burke (trade unionist)" redirects here. For the Australian politician and former trade unionist, see Tony Burke.

Tony Burke was a British full time trade union official in the print unions, the NGA (Northern Regional Secretary) and GPMU (Deputy General Secretary), Amicus (Assistant General Secretary) and retired in 2022 as an Assistant General Secretary of Unite the Union in the UK and Ireland.

A Mancunian and print worker, he joined the print union the National Graphical Association (NGA) as an apprentice aged 17, became the Father of The Chapel (Senior Shop Steward) in print companies and newspapers where he worked as a printer and became president of the NGAs Stockport branch. In this role, he was at the forefront of disputes with newspaper owner Eddy Shah.[1] A member of the National Council of the NGA and serving a term as vice president of the union, he was member of the NGA National Council during the Wapping dispute, .[2] In 1991, the NGA merged with sister print union Sogat to form one union for printing, publishing, papermaking and media workers the Graphical, Paper and Media Union (GPMU).[3]

In 1990 he was elected the NGA regional secretary in the north of England and in 1994, elected as deputy general secretary of the GPMU (the merged union of NGA and Sogat).[3] He became known for his focus on organising workers,[4] and was appointed as chair of the Trade Union Congress's (TUC) New Unionism Task Group.[5]

With Frances O'Grady, who later became the General Secretary of the TUC, they developed the use of trained union organisers from different backgrounds from inside and outside of union movement to recruit and organise new members and workforces into the trade union movement.

He led negotiations with print, papermaking and packaging employers for the modernisation of national collective agreements, the use of new technologies, skills, retraining and apprenticeships.

In 2004, the GPMU merged into Amicus, and Burke was appointed as one of its assistant general secretaries, leading its Graphical, Paper and Media Sector.[6] Amicus, in turn, became part of Unite, with Burke retaining his post as assistant general secretary, and taking responsibility for and coordinating and overseeing Unite's manufacturing sectors including autos, aerospace, shipbuilding, general and electrical engineering and manufacturing, steel, graphical, paper, media and IT, chemicals, pharma, textiles, rubber, glass and oil including offshore rigs and exploration and undertook international work within the union. .[7]

He also represented the TUC on the board of the COGENT - the sector skills body for the Chemicals, Pharma, Life Sciences and Nuclear Industries and represented the CSEU on the board of Engenuity the sector skills body for the engineering, metals and manufacturing sectors.

Burke served on the General Council of the Trades Union Congress from 1993 until 2002, and again from 2008 to 2022. He also served on the TUC's Executive Committee, where he was the TUCs lead on employment and union rights. He represented Unite on the Labour Party's National Policy Forum. He was a vice president of IndustriALL Europe from 2019 - 2023, a founding member of the board of Workers Uniting the independent global trade union formed by Unite, the United Steelworkers in the USA and Canada and Los Mineros, the Mexican mining and metals trade union. He was the President of the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions.[8]

With former National Officer of GPMU, Amicus and Unite Ann Field he co-wrote 'A Glorious History - The History of the Printing & Papermaking Unions of Great Britain and Ireland'. He also helped produce a biography (published by Unite) of print trade unionist and activist Betty Tebbs and with leading union shop stewards Unite's strategy for manufacturing in the UK and the case for remaining a member of the European Union.

He writes for the Morning Star newspaper and publishes on various websites with a focus on union organising, international trade unionism, employment & trade union rights and trade agreements.

He is currently Co-chair of the Campaign for Trade Union Freedom, a board member of the People's Press Printing Society and is the trade union co-ordinator for the Morning Star newspaper.[9] and is involved in the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Labour & Palestine, trade union solidarity campaigns with Latin American counties, Media North, History & Policy Network and the Labour Party currently serving as Trade Union officer in his CLP.

  1. ^ Negrine, Ralph (1998). Television and the Press Since 1945. Manchester: Manchester University Press. p. 159. ISBN 9780719049217.
  2. ^ Gardner, Joanne (19 January 2006). "Twenty years on, unions mull Murdochs flight from Fleet St". Print Week. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  3. ^ a b Peter Bain and John Gennard, A History of the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades
  4. ^ Murray, Andrew (2003). A New Labour Nightmare. Verso. pp. 162–163. ISBN 9781859845523.
  5. ^ Kelly, John; Willman, Paul (2004). Union Organization and Activity. Routledge. p. 152. ISBN 1134445318.
  6. ^ Scott, Andy (2 November 2004). "GPMU merger now official". Print Week. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Manufacturing". Unite. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Unite's – CSEU's Tony Burke Joins the Enginuity Board". Enginuity. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  9. ^ "Tony Burke". Trades Union Congress. Retrieved 11 May 2021.