(And Knights, CBEs, OBEs, MBEs and other prestigious and auspicious awards)
The following is a list of trade union General Secretaries rewarded for their service by the State. This list is not exhaustive, however it covers most major trade unions over the last 100 years.
Unite the Union
Tony Woodley (Joint General Secretary, 2007 – 2010)
Baron Woodley (refused peerage in 2018, accepted peerage in 2020)
Transport and General Workers’ Union
Ernest Bevin (General Secretary 1922 – 1940)
Lord Privy Seal
Arthur Deakin (acting General Secretary 1940 – 1945, General Secretary 1945 – 1955)
Order of the Companions of Honour
Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and Privy Councillor
Jock Tifin (General Secretary 1955 – 1956)
Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Frank Cousins (General Secretary 1956 – 1964)
Privy Councillor
Harry Nicholas (General Secretary 1964 – 1969)
Knighted
Jack Jones (General Secretary 1969 – 1978)
Companies of Honour and Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Bill Morris (General Secretary 1992 – 2003)
Baron Morris of Handsworth
Tony Woodley (General Secretary until merger into Unite the Union in 2007)
Baron Woodley (refused when offered in 2018, accepted when offered in 2020)
Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU)
Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbers Union (EETPU)
Amalgamated Engineering and Electronic Union (AEEU)
Fred Smith (General Secretary of AEU 1933 – 1943)
Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Frank Chapple (General Secretary of EETPU 1968 – 1984)
Baron Chapple of Hoxton
Eric Hammond (General Secretary of EETPU 1984 – 1992)
Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Ken Jackson (General Secretary of AEEU 1995 – 2001)
Knighted
General, Municipal, Boilermakers’ and Allied Trade Union (GMB)
William James Thorne (General Secretary 1924 – 1934)
Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and Privy Councillor
Charles Dukes (General Secretary 1934 – 1946)
1st Baron Dukeston
Thomas Williamson (General Secretary 1946 – 1962)
Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and Baron Williamson
John (Jack) Cooper (General Secretary 1962 – 1973)
Baron Cooper of Stockton Heath
David Bassnet (General Secretary 1973 – 1986)
Baron Bassnet of Leatherhead
Paul Kenny (General Secretary 2005 – 2016)
Knight Bachelor
Amalgamated Society of Boilermakers, Shipwrights, Blacksmiths and Structural Workers (ASB)
Mark Hodgson (General Secretary 1936 – 1948)
Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and Knighted
Ted Hill (General Secretary 1948 – 1965)
Baron Hill of Wivenhoe
Danny McGarvey (General Secretary 1965 – 1967)
Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and Knighted
John Chalmers (General Secretary 1967 – 1980)
Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Unison
Dave Prentis (General Secretary 2001 – 2021)
Baron Prentis of Leeds
Confederation of Health Service Employees (COHSE)
George Gibson (General Secretary 1946 – 1947)
Companions of Honour
Hector Mackenzie (General Secretary 1987 – 1993)
Baron Mackenzie of Culkein
National Association of Local Government Officers (NALGO)
John Warren (General Secretary 1946 – 1957)
Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Walter Anderson (General Secretary 1957 – 1973)
Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Geoffrey Drain (General Secretary 1973 – 1983)
Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
National Union of Public Employees (NUPE)
Rodney Bickerstaffe
REFUSED peerage in 2007
Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS)
John Sheldon (Joint General Secretary 1998 – 2000)
Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Barry Reamsbotton (Joint General Secretary 1998 – 2000)
No honours, but became Vice-President of a NATO-sponsored think tank Trade Union Committee for European and Transatlantic Understanding
Civil and Public Services Union
Ken Thomas (General Secretary 1976 – 1982)
Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
John Graham (General Secretary 1982 – 1986)
Knighted
John Ellis (General Secretary 1986 – 1992)
Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Communications Workers’ Union
Tony Young (Joint General Secretary 1995 – 1997)
Baron Young of Norwood Green
Union of Communication Workers
William Bowen (General Secretary 1919 – 1936)
Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and Knighted
Charles Geddes (General Secretary 1944 – 1956)
Baron Geddes of Epsom
Ron Smith (General Secretary 1956 – 1967)
Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Post Office Engineering Union
Leslie Edwards (General Secretary 1938 – 1947)
Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Charles Delacourt-Smith (General Secretary 1953 – 1972)
Baron Delacourt-Smith
National Union of Railwaymen
John Benstead (General Secretary 1943 – 1948)
Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and Knighted
Sidney Greene (General Secretary 1957 – 1975)
Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Knighted and Baron Greene of Harrow Weald
Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen
William Allen (General Secretary 1940 – 1948)
Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Jim Bath (General Secretary 1948 – 1956)
Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association
Alexander Walkden (General Secretary 1906 – 1936)
Baron Walkden
George Thorneycroft (General Secretary 1949 – 1953)
Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
William Webber (General Secretary 1953 – 1963)
Knighted
John Bothwell (General Secretary 1963 – 1968)
Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Albert Coldrick (General Secretary 1968 – 1973)
Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Tom Jenkins (General Secretary 1977 – 1982)
Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Richard Rosser (General Secretary 1989 – 2004)
Baron Rosser of Ickenham
Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians
George Smith (General Secretary 1971 – 1978)
Knighted
George Brumwell
Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
Class Consciousness Project 