Charles Geddes, Baron Geddes of Epsom
Charles John Geddes, Baron Geddes of Epsom, CBE (1 March 1897 – 2 May 1983) was a British trade unionist.
Charles Geddes | |
|---|---|
| Lord Geddes of Epsom in the County of Surrey | |
 Charles, Lord Geddes of Epsom was one of the first life peers. | |
| Tenure | Life Peerage |
| Known for | Trade Unionist Labour Party |
| Born | 1 March 1897 Camberwell, London |
| Nationality | British |
| Parents | Thomas Geddes and Florence (Mills) Geddes |
Born in Camberwell, London, his parents were active socialists in the Labour movement at a time that the Labour party was being founded in London. Charles attended Blackheath Central School but left still aged only thirteen. He joined the Post Office in 1911 as a boy messenger, running errands. In his spare time he worked for a shopkeeper in Deptford, East London where he first came into contact with the Post Office Workers Union.
He served as a fighter pilot in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I, being commissioned a pilot officer in 1918.
On returning to civilian work, Geddes became active in the new Union of Post Office Workers rising to district chairman of the London district of the union's council. During the Second World War he was appointed assistant-general secretary of the UPW. He was Deputy General Secretary of the union from 1941, and then General Secretary from 1944 to 1957. In 1946 he joined the board of the TUC.[1] He ruled on shipbuilding and engineering disputes for the Attlee government. He referred wage claims to and impartial body before the establishment of ACAS. Geddes became authoritative and knowledgeable about the extent and scope of industrial disputes. In 1955, he served as President of the Trades Union Congress.[2]
Geddes was Chairman of Polyglass Ltd.
Appointed a Commander of the OBE in 1950,[3]
In 1957 Geddes was offered a Knighthood by the Macmillan government, he accepted, and then promptly resigned his position in UPW.[4]
On 4 August 1958, he became the third life peer created by letters patent under the Life Peerages Act 1958, with the title Baron Geddes of Epsom, of Epsom in the County of Surrey,[5] and was introduced on 22 October. He argued strongly in his maiden speech for extending protection of old age pension schemes. He praised the plucky Londoners who had defended the country during the Blitz, suggestive of the man in the boiler suit, a kind of community socialist. Geddes was not especially happy in the Lords which involved much complicated legal procedure and conventional rules.[6] Being a Keynesian he verged on a strongly unionised planned economy that was more socialist than mixed. He proposed round table negotiations with employers as a way of reducing unemployment. This new approach presaged the Wilsonian bureaucracy that attempted to modernise and improve productivity. Incentivisation was intrinsic argued Geddes, so that workers could share in economic benefits. In 1963 he told the Macmillan government that more investment was required in the Post Office.[7]
He died aged 86.
References
- "Obituary: Peacemaker of the TUC", The Guardian, 4 May 1983
- Details of Past Congresses Archived 30 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Trades Union Congress
- "No. 38929". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 June 1950. p. 2785.
- "No. 41134". The London Gazette. 21 July 1957. p. 4379.
- "No. 41465". The London Gazette. 5 August 1958. p. 4896.
- The Times, obituary, 'Lord Geddes of Epsom: Force for Moderation within the TUC', 4 May 1983.
- HL, Hansard, 26 February 1963, col 53.
External links
- "Sir Charles John Geddes, Baron Geddes of Epsom". Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- "Baron Geddes of Epsom". Retrieved 7 June 2018.
| Trade union offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by J. Paterson |
Deputy General Secretary of the Union of Post Office Workers 1941–1944 |
Succeeded by G. A. Stevens |
| Preceded by T. J. Hodgson |
General Secretary of the Union of Post Office Workers 1944–1956 |
Succeeded by Ron Smith |
| Preceded by John William Bowen |
President of the Postal, Telegraph and Telephone International 1949–1957 |
Succeeded by William Norton |
| Preceded by New position |
President of the ICFTU European Regional Organisation 1950–1957 |
Succeeded by Alfred Roberts |
| Preceded by Alfred Roberts |
Trades Union Congress representative to the American Federation of Labour 1953 With: Edwin Hall |
Succeeded by Jim Baty and Jock Tiffin |
| Preceded by Jack Tanner |
President of the Trades Union Congress 1955 |
Succeeded by Wilfred Beard |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by The Lord Fraser of Lonsdale |
Senior life peer 1974–1983 |
Succeeded by The Lord Granville-West |