View source for Harry Urwin

{{Short description|British trade unionist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{One source|date=August 2022}}
'''Charles Henry Urwin''' (24 February 1915 &ndash; 10 February 1996) was a [[British people|British]] [[trade unionist]].
Born in [[Witton Gilbert]], [[County Durham]], Urwin began work at a local coal mine at the age of fourteen, but left three years later, moving to [[Coventry]] to become a welder.  He also joined the [[Transport and General Workers' Union]] (TGWU), and soon became a [[shop steward]] for his workplace.<ref name="odnb">William McCarthy, "[http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/articleHL/74551?docPos=160&anchor=match Urwin, Charles Henry (Harry)]", [[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]</ref>
In 1947, Urwin became secretary of the TGWU's Coventry district, succeeding [[Jack Jones (trade unionist)|Jack Jones]].  This was a full-time post, and he worked closely with Jones, striking up a life-long friendship.  In 1959, Urwin became the regional officer, based in [[Birmingham]], then West Midlands secretary in 1963.  In 1969 when Jones became the TGWU's general secretary, he made Urwin his assistant, then later created the role of deputy general secretary for Urwin.<ref name="odnb" />
Urwin was elected to the general council of the [[Trades Union Congress]] (TUC), where he proved highly influential despite being one of its few members not to lead a union.  He was also active in the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]], and served on the [[Manpower Services Commission]], [[National Enterprise Board]] and [[Energy Commission]] during the late 1970s, then the [[Advisory, Conciliation, and Arbitration Service]] from 1979.<ref name="odnb" />
Jones retired in 1978, and Urwin followed him into retirement in 1980, living in [[Walsall]] until his death in 1996.<ref name="odnb" />
==References==
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{{succession box|title=Assistant General Secretary of the [[Transport and General Workers' Union]]|years=1968 &ndash; 1974|before=[[Harry Nicholas]]|after=''Position abolished''}}
{{succession box|title=Deputy General Secretary of the [[Transport and General Workers' Union]]|years=1974 &ndash; 1980|before=''New position''|after=[[Alec Kitson]]}}
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{{Transport and General Workers' Union}}
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[[Category:1915 births]]
[[Category:1996 deaths]]
[[Category:Deputy general secretaries of the Transport and General Workers' Union]]
[[Category:Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress]]
[[Category:Trade unionists from County Durham]]
[[Category:People from Witton Gilbert]]