  derek simpson (born 23 december 1944) is a british trade unionist who was the joint-general secretary of the uk's biggest private-sector trade union, unite, from 2007 until 2010. he was previously the general secretary of amicus from 2002 until its merger with the transport and general workers' union to form unite in 2007. ==early life== derek simpson was born and educated in sheffield. he was an only child with an absent father. he attended sheffield central technical school (a technical school, which transferred to the ashleigh school in gleadless and was then demolished having merged to become myrtle springs school which is now sheffield springs academy). in 1987 he received an open university bsc in computing and mathematics. he was appointed an honorary fellow of sheffield hallam university in 1999. ==career== from 1960-66 he worked for firth brown tools, then balfour darwin from 1966â81, then working full-time as a union official. ===aeu=== he joined the amalgamated engineering union (aeu) on becoming an apprentice at the age of 15. he became an aeu shop steward at balfour darwin in 1967"derek simpson: a left-wing 'walter mitty' prepares for centre stage after beating all the odds" the independent, 23 june 2003 and held a number of increasingly senior union positions in workplaces where he was employed, learning his politics in what described as "the socialist republic of south yorkshire". in 1981 he became a full-time union official, becoming the aeu's district secretary for sheffield. he was still working for the union in that city when he stood for the position of joint general secretary in 2002. === gen
1944_births Alumni_of_the_Open_University Communist_Party_of_Great_Britain_members General_Secretaries_of_British_trade_unions Living_people People_from_Sheffield Unite_the_Union