Fred Green COHSE Regional Secretary

Fred Green

Fred Green began work as a half timer at the age of 12 in a Lancashire Cotton Mill.

He left school at 13 and went to evening classes.

He was a trade unionist at 12 and joined the Socialist Sunday School and Independent labour Party as a young man

He became a councillor at an early age

He took an interest in Lancashire history and Lancashire dialect and published articles on the subject

After the General Strike of 1926, he was victimised for two years and was out of work

He later secured employment in a Public Assistance Insitution and became a member of the Mental Hospital & Institutional Workers Union and became branch Chairman.

He became a full time officer in 1948 and later regional secretary for COHSE in the North West No 3 region. (COHSE Office, Liverpool Chambers, 4 Newmarket Place, Manchester)

Two outstanding achievements were the establishment of ancillary rates of pay and conditions on the Isle of Man, and organising from initial seven members in Northern Ireland a Northern Ireland region of 2,500 members

Retired 1970

Fred Green COHSE recruitment cup

Isle of Man COHSE estb April 1956

COHSE Isle of Man

The Confederation of Health service (COHSE) branch on the Isle of Man was established in April 1956. It’s first COHSE Branch Secretary being Mr B. M. Wadsley.

Regular visits during its formative years came from Regional Secretary Fred Green, Mrs Kath Daly COHSE Women’s Officer and in 1958 from Assistant COHSE General Secretary J. Richards.

The initial membership was primarily at Ballamona Hospital must soon spread to Noble hospital after an organising campaign by Miss Kath Daly but seems to have run into opposition to the recruitment of nurses from the Matron.

Norman Counsell was also key in organising staff into COHSE at the Jane Crookall Maternity Hospital

In 1957 COHSE had recievied full recognition on the Isle of Man Joint Negotiating Machinery

COHSE Regional Secretary Fred Green won a major victory for over 100 staff (84 ancillary and 24 admin) at Noble hospital, by securing Whitley Council rates of pay (national UK pay rates). The successful tribunal ruling allowed Whitley pay as of 21^st November 1959

By 1966 the Isle of Man COHSE branch could claim 248 members

In 1969 Mrs E Wasley (wife of the Branch secretary) had been elected vice president of the Isle of Man Trades Council (The first time women has been elected to this postion). It was reported in 1970 that “one of the feature of the Isle of Man COHSE branch is the keen intrest of women members who formed a large percentage”

Bill Cubbon of Ballymena, retired in 1975 after twenty five years work and after sixteen years as the Chair of the Isle of Man COHSE branch

NOTE
NUPE did not recruit on the Isle of Man

Michael Walker UNISON