Alfred Roberts (1910 - 1971)

Alfred Roberts (1910 – 1971) was a British trade unionist. Roberts worked as a coach builder, and joined the National Union of Vehicle Builders in 1925. He worked for a while in Dublin, during which time he frequently attended the Irish Trades Union Congress and served on its Northern Ireland Committee. In 1942, he became secretary of the union's Sheffield branch, and was soon elected to its national executive. After becoming a full-time organiser for the NUVB's York and North-Eastern division in 1951, he was elected as assistant general secretary of the union, in 1953. In 1962, Roberts was elected as general secretary of the union. His tenure was a difficult period for the union; he was known as a moderate figure and was able to maintain a membership of 85,000. In 1967, he was also elected to the General Council of the Trades Union Congress. Roberts negotiated a merger between the NUVB and the Transport and General Workers' Union; as part of the agreement, he was due to become an executive officer of the TGWU, ranking among its three leading figures. However, he died in 1971, before the merger took place.

Size 14cm x 18cm

Medium brush and ink on paper

Publication The Guardian

Published 1954