Norman Willis

Norman David Willis (born 21 January 1933 in Ashford, Surrey) was the General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in the United Kingdom from 1984–1993, and President of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) 1991–93.

Early life

He attended Ashford County Grammar School in Ashford, Middlesex, and studied at Oriel College, Oxford. He was a Labour councillor on Staines UDC from 1971–4.

Career

TGWU

He worked for the TGWU from 1949–1951, before two years National Service. From 1959–1970 he was the personal assistant to the General Secretary of the TGWU.

TUC

He became assistant General Scretary of the TUC in 1974. The leadership of Norman Willis from 1984 coincided in the late 1980s with a period of considerable change for the Trade Union movement in the UK: union membership was falling; the movement was facing power-limiting legislation from the Conservative government; and the Labour Party was conducting a fundamental review of its policies and the nature of its links with the unions.

Personal life

He is a patron of the Embroiderers' Guild, a British embroidery organisation, and former President of The Arthur Ransome Society (TARS) [1]. He is a renowned raconteur. He married Maureen Kenning in 1963. They have a son and a daughter.