Transport and General Workers Union

This page was last edited on at

The Transport and General Workers Union (T&G, also referred to as TGWU) was one of the largest unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland up until it merged with Amicus in 2007 and became Unite. Internal tobacco industry documents show that the T&G and other unions have been used by the tobacco industry for decades to “support the industry’s cause in Government and Brussels lobbies” and “as a public relations vehicle to help combat the anti-smoking lobby”.1

Opposed the 2001 EU Tobacco Products Directive

As a member of the Tobacco Workers’ Alliance, the T&G played an active role in organising protests against the 2001 TPD,23including a protest in London on 22 November 2000 “in a bid to persuade the Government to step in and save 10,000 British jobs threatened by Brussels plans to ban EU tobacco exports”.3
A study examining the tobacco industry’s response to the 2001 TPD found that T&G’s lobbying activities were part of a comprehensive third party strategy to undermine the TPD.4

Stakeholder in UK debate on Better Regulation

T&G has been an active actor in the policy debate around Better Regulation. In February 1999, it was part of an “experts debate” organised by the UK Government’s advisory Better Regulation Task Force to discuss “how to increase public confidence in government’s handling of risk”.5

TobaccoTactics Resources

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

References

  1. ↑Communication with Trade Unions: Notes of a Discussion with NA Ray, Transport and General Workers Union, 1 November 1978, Bates nr: 303716145-303716147, Legacy Tobacco Document Library, British American Tobacco collection, accessed December 2014
  2. ↑European Directive to Cost Thousands of British Jobs, 18 May 2010, Bates range: 325133034-325133035, Legacy Tobacco Document Library, British American Tobacco collection, accessed November 2014
  3. ↑ab“Export Products not Jobs” Tobacco Workers Lobby Government to Stop 10, 000 British Jobs from Going Up in Smoke, 20 November 2000, Bates nr: 325133641, Legacy Tobacco Document Library, British American Tobacco collection, accessed November 2014
  4. ↑S. Mandal et al, Block, amend, delay: tobacco industry efforts to influence the European Union’s Tobacco Products Directive (2201/37/EC), June 2009, accessed November 2014
  5. ↑Experts Debate Risky Business of Government, 8 February 1999, Bates range: 321425080-321425091, Legacy Tobacco Document Library, British American Tobacco collection, accessed November 2014

Categories