John Hill

Who was John Hill?

John Hill was a British trade union leader.

Born in Govan, he worked in the Glasgow shipyards from the age of twelve, later taking an apprenticeship as a plater. He became active in the United Society of Boilermakers and Iron and Steel Shipbuilders, being its Clyde delegate from 1901 to 1909, while also serving on his parish council for the Independent Labour Party. The union sponsored his candidacy in Glasgow Govan at the 1906 general election; he took 29% of the vote, but was not elected. He stood for the Labour Party, again unsuccessfully, in the Liverpool Kirkdale by-election, 1907.

In 1909, Hill was elected General Secretary of the Boilermakers. He was able to strengthen the union in his first five years by focussing on craft unionism and controlling apprenticeships. During World War I, he articulated some of the concerns of Red Clydeside on the national stage, working to get the Munitions of War Act amended, and becoming increasingly important in the Labour Party. In 1917, he served as President of the Trades Union Congress.

Hill remained General Secretary until 1936, but struggled to maintain the union's bargaining power in the face of the Great Depression.