Confederation of Health Service Employees
The Confederation of Health Service Employees (COHSE) was a United Kingdom trade union representing workers primarily in the National Health Service.
 | |
| Founded | 1946 |
|---|---|
| Date dissolved | 1993 |
| Merged into | Unison |
| Members | 216,000 (1980)[1] |
| Journal | Health Services[2] |
| Affiliation | TUC, Labour |
| Office location | Glen House, High Street, Banstead[2] |
| Country | United Kingdom |
History
The union was founded in 1946 with the merger of the Mental Hospital and Institutional Workers Union and the Hospital and Welfare Services Union, with the aim of having one union to represent workers in the National Health Service on its formation.
In 1993, COHSE merged with two other trade unions - NUPE (the National Union of Public Employees) and NALGO (the National and Local Government Officers Association ) - to form UNISON, the largest public sector trade union in the UK.
Major COHSE campaigns
- 1948: Nursing Students Pay
- 1959: Unofficial Overtime ban
- 1962: Nurses Pay (Lets twist again)
- 1972–73: Ancillary Pay strikes (Low pay)
- 1974: Nurses Pay (Halsbury)
- 1974?: Private Patients Dispute
- 1979: Public Sector Pay (Winter of Discontent)
- 1982: NHS Staff Pay campaign (12%claim)
- 1988: Nurses Pay (Clinical Grading)
- 1989–1990: Ambulance Dispute
Election results
The union sponsored Labour Party candidates at each Parliamentary election from 1979.
| Election | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 general election | Dudley West | Mike Hartley-Brewer | 29,109 | 49.1 | 2[3] |
| Ealing North | William Molloy | 26,044 | 43.6 | 2[3] | |
| Fife Central | Willie Hamilton | 27,619 | 58.0 | 1[3] | |
| Loughborough | John Cronin | 24,589 | 39.6 | 2[3] | |
| Oldham West | Michael Meacher | 17,802 | 52.4 | 1[3] | |
| Rhondda | Alec Jones | 38,007 | 75.2 | 1[3] | |
| 1983 general election | Central Fife | Willie Hamilton | 17,008 | 43.1 | 1 |
| Oldham West | Michael Meacher | 17,690 | 44.1 | 1 | |
| Rhondda | Allan Rogers | 29,448 | 61.7 | 1 | |
| 1987 general election | Oldham West | Michael Meacher | 20,291 | 49.4 | 1 |
| Redcar | Mo Mowlam | 22,824 | 47.3 | 1 | |
| Rhondda | Allan Rogers | 35,015 | 73.4 | 1 | |
| Stoke-on-Trent North | Joan Walley | 25,459 | 47.1 | 1 | |
| Workington | Dale Campbell-Savours | 24,019 | 52.4 | 1 | |
| 1992 general election | Falkirk West | Dennis Canavan | 19,162 | 49.8 | 1[4] |
| Oldham West | Michael Meacher | 21,580 | 52.8 | 1[4] | |
| Redcar | Mo Mowlam | 27,184 | 56.0 | 1[4] | |
| Rhondda | Allan Rogers | 34,243 | 74.5 | 1[4] | |
| Stoke-on-Trent North | Joan Walley | 30,464 | 56.7 | 1[4] | |
| Wallasey | Angela Eagle | 26,531 | 48.9 | 1[4] | |
| Workington | Dale Campbell-Savours | 26,719 | 56.9 | 1[4] |
Leadership
General Secretaries
- 1946: George Gibson
- 1947: Cliff Comer
- 1953: Jack Waite
- 1958: Jack Jepson
- 1967: Dick Akers
- 1969: Frank Lynch
- 1974: Albert Spanswick
- 1983: David Williams
- 1987: Hector MacKenzie
Presidents
- 1946: Claude Bartlett
- 1962: Ron Farmer
- 1965: Bob Vickerstaff
- 1976: Eric Wilson
- 1982: Sid Ambler
- 1987: Colin Robinson
References
- David Farnham, Employee Relations in Context, p. 268.
- Marsh, Arthur (1984). Trade Union Handbook (3 ed.). Aldershot: Gower. p. 237. ISBN 0566024268.
- Labour Party, Report of the Seventy-Eighth Annual Conference of the Labour Party, pp. 406–431.
- The Times Guide to the House of Commons April 1992, pp. 32–249.
External links
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