# Union of Communication Workers

The Union of Communication Workers (UCW) was a trade union in the United Kingdom for workers in the post office and telecommunications industries.

## History

The union was founded in 1919 as the Union of Post Office Workers (UPW) by the merger of the Postmen's Federation, Postal and Telegraph Clerks' Association and the Fawcett Association. It achieved official recognition, and as a result, in 1920 the London Postal Porters' Association, Central London Postmen's Association, Tracers' Association, Tube Staff Association, Messengers' Association and Sorters' Association all merged with it. It was banned legally from TUC membership from 1927 to 1946. Its longest strike was for 7 weeks in 1971.
It changed its name in 1980, and merged with the National Communications Union in 1995 to form the Communication Workers' Union.

## Election results

The union sponsored Labour Party candidates in each Parliamentary election. From 1927 until the end of World War II, the union was legally barred from affiliating to the party, so its candidates in that period are omitted from many sources.
| Election | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Position |
| 1922 general election | Bury | Harry Wallace | 9,643 | 36.7 | 2 |
| 1922 general election | Camberwell North | Charles Ammon | 8,320 | 50.8 | 1 |
| 1922 general election | Carlisle | George Middleton | 7,870 | 37.6 | 1 |
| 1922 general election | Harborough | Walter Baker | 6,205 | 28.2 | 3 |
| 1922 general election | Newport (Monmouthshire) | John William Bowen | 16,000 | 45.7 | 2 |
| 1922 general election | Stockton-on-Tees | Frederick Fox Riley | 11,183 | 34.3 | 2 |
| 1923 general election | Bristol East | Walter Baker | 14,824 | 53.7 | 1 |
| 1923 general election | Bury | Harry Wallace | 9,568 | 36.1 | 2 |
| 1923 general election | Camberwell North | Charles Ammon | 10,620 | 64.2 | 1 |
| 1923 general election | Carlisle | George Middleton | 9,120 | 40.5 | 1 |
| 1923 general election | Newport | John William Bowen | 14,100 | 38.6 | 2 |
| 1923 general election | Stockton-on-Tees | Frederick Fox Riley | 10,619 | 31.2 | 3 |
| 1924 general election | Bristol East | Walter Baker | 16,920 | 58.2 | 1 |
| 1924 general election | Bury | Harry Wallace | 10,286 | 36.1 | 2 |
| 1924 general election | Camberwell North | Charles Ammon | 11,300 | 54.9 | 1 |
| 1924 general election | Carlisle | George Middleton | 10,676 | 45.5 | 2 |
| 1924 general election | Newport | John William Bowen | 18,263 | 47.2 | 2 |
| 1924 general election | Stockton-on-Tees | Frederick Fox Riley | 11,948 | 33.1 | 2 |
| 1929 general election | Bristol East | Walter Baker | 24,197 | 65.8 | 1 |
| 1929 general election | Camberwell North | Charles Ammon | 13,051 | 57.9 | 1 |
| 1929 general election | Carlisle | George Middleton | 12,779 | 40.4 | 1 |
| 1929 general election | Crewe | John William Bowen | 20,948 | 50.2 | 1 |
| 1929 general election | Stockton-on-Tees | Frederick Fox Riley | 18,961 | 41.2 | 1 |
| 1929 general election | Walthamstow East | Harry Wallace | 11,039 | 39.6 | 1 |
| 1931 general election | Camberwell North | Charles Ammon | 9,869 | 48.1 | 2 |
| 1931 general election | Carlisle | George Middleton | 13,445 | 42.7 | 2 |
| 1931 general election | Crewe | John William Bowen | 18,351 | 42.2 | 2 |
| 1931 general election | Stockton-on-Tees | Frederick Fox Riley | 18,168 | 38.4 | 2 |
| 1931 general election | Walthamstow East | Harry Wallace | 9,983 | 31.2 | 2 |
| 1935 general election | Camberwell North | Charles Ammon | 11,701 | 64.7 | 1 |
| 1935 general election | Crewe | John William Bowen | 20,620 | 48.7 | 2 |
| 1935 general election | Walthamstow East | Harry Wallace | 14,378 | 46.0 | 2 |
| 1945 general election | Clitheroe | Harry Randall | 19,443 | 53.7 | 1 |
| 1945 general election | Heston and Isleworth | William Williams | 29,192 | 54.3 | 1 |
| 1945 general election | Walthamstow East | Harry Wallace | 15,650 | 51.1 | 1 |
| 1950 general election | Clitheroe | Harry Randall | 18,359 | 43.8 | 2 |
| 1950 general election | Heston and Isleworth | William Williams | 29,013 | 43.6 | 2 |
| 1950 general election | Walthamstow East | Harry Wallace | 18,478 | 47.0 | 1 |
| 1951 general election | Droylsden | William Williams | 26,829 | 51.8 | 1 |
| 1951 general election | Dumfriesshire | George Douglas | 16,669 | 38.7 | 2 |
| 1951 general election | Mitcham | Harry Randall | 28,187 | 45.3 | 2 |
| 1951 general election | Walthamstow East | Harry Wallace | 19,036 | 47.5 | 1 |
| 1955 general election | Manchester Openshaw | William Williams | 24,638 | 59.7 | 1 |
| 1955 general election | Walthamstow East | Harry Wallace | 15,744 | 43.1 | 2 |
| 1955 by-election | Gateshead West | Harry Randall | 13,196 | 66.5 | 1 |
| 1959 general election | Manchester Openshaw | William Williams | 24,975 | 60.2 | 1 |
| 1959 general election | Gateshead West | Harry Randall | 21,277 | 64.9 | 1 |
| 1963 by-election | Manchester Openshaw | Charles Morris | 16,101 | 65.9 | 1 |
| 1964 general election | Bristol North East | Raymond Dobson | 21,212 | 44.2 | 2 |
| 1964 general election | Gateshead West | Harry Randall | 21,390 | 69.0 | 1 |
| 1964 general election | Manchester Openshaw | Charles Morris | 22,589 | 59.6 | 1 |
| 1966 general election | Brighton Kemptown | Dennis Hobden | 24,936 | 50.8 | 1 |
| 1966 general election | Bristol North East | Raymond Dobson | 25,699 | 54.2 | 1 |
| 1966 general election | Gateshead West | Harry Randall | 20,381 | 74.8 | 1 |
| 1966 general election | Manchester Openshaw | Charles Morris | 22,103 | 64.9 | 1 |
| 1970 general election | Brighton Kemptown | Dennis Hobden | 21,105 | 42.9 | 2 |
| 1970 general election | Bristol North East | Raymond Dobson | 22,792 | 49.5 | 2 |
| 1970 general election | Manchester Openshaw | Charles Morris | 19,397 | 60.2 | 1 |
| 1971 by-election | Stirling and Falkirk | Harry Ewing | 17,536 | 46.5 | 1 |
| Feb 1974 general election | Brighton Kemptown | Dennis Hobden | 19,484 | 38.1 | 2 |
| Feb 1974 general election | Hampstead | Tony Clarke | 17,279 | 38.3 | 2 |
| Feb 1974 general election | Manchester Openshaw | Charles Morris | 16,478 | 53.5 | 1 |
| Feb 1974 general election | Stirling, Falkirk and Grangemouth | Harry Ewing | 21,685 | 41.9 | 1 |
| Feb 1974 general election | Western Isles | Andrew Wilson | 2,879 | 19.2 | 2 |
| Oct 1974 general election | Brighton Kemptown | Dennis Hobden | 19,060 | 40.3 | 2 |
| Oct 1974 general election | Hampstead | Tony Clarke | 16,414 | 40.6 | 2 |
| Oct 1974 general election | Manchester Openshaw | Charles Morris | 16,109 | 57.6 | 1 |
| Oct 1974 general election | Stirling, Falkirk and Grangemouth | Harry Ewing | 22,090 | 43.3 | 1 |
| 1979 general election | Manchester Openshaw | Charles Morris | 17,099 | 62.1 | 1 |
| 1979 general election | Stirling, Falkirk and Grangemouth | Harry Ewing | 29,499 | 56.5 | 1 |
| 1983 general election | Falkirk East | Harry Ewing | 17,956 | 47.7 | 1 |
| 1987 general election | Falkirk East | Harry Ewing | 21,379 | 54.2 | 1 |
| 1992 general election | Falkirk East | Michael Connarty | 18,423 | 46.1 | 1 |

## Leadership
### General Secretaries

    1919: William Bowen
    1936: T. J. Hodgson
    1944: Charles Geddes
    1956: Ron Smith
    1967: Thomas Jackson
    1982: Alan Tuffin
    1992: Alan Johnson

### Deputy General Secretaries

    1919: Walter Baker
    1931: James Paterson
    1941: Charles Geddes
    1944: G. A. Stevens
    1951: Richard Hayward
    1956: L. V. Andrews
    1967: Norman Stagg
    1980: Alan Tuffin
    1982: Tony Clarke
    1993: Derek Hodgson

### Treasurers

    1919: Will Lockyer
    1935: W. T. Leicester
    1947: A. H. Wood
    1953: Ron Smith
    1956: E. R. Mercer
    1962: Fred Moss
    1981: Fred Binks
    1988: Derek Walsh