The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) is a trade union in the United Kingdom. Consisting of over 405,000 members, USDAW is the UK's fourth largest and fastest growing trade union. Membership has increased by more than 17% in the last five years and by nearly a third in the last decade.^{[citation needed]} Most USDAW members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemicals and other trades. It has a reputation as one of the less militant unions, rarely organising industrial action.

The union was formed in 1947 by the merger of the National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers and the National Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks.

There is also a managerial and supervisory section called Sata - the Supervisory, Administrative and Technical Association. This is a special section of the union representing employees in middle and lower management or with administrative or technical responsibilities.

USDAW have the biggest recognition agreement in private sector by been the recognised trade union for workers employed by Tesco, with more than 160,000 members in this company. Amongst the companies who have signed Parnership Agreements with USDAW are Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Cooperative, Primark, Boots.

Publications [link]

USDAW produces a quarterly membership magazine - Arena, as well as a bimonthly magazine for union activists - Network.

General Secretaries [link]

• 1947: Joseph Hallsworth
• 1949: Alan Birch
• 1962: Alf Allen
• 1979: Bill Whatley
• 1986: Garfield Davies
• 1997: Bill Connor
• 2004: John Hannett

Presidents [link]

• 1948: Walter Padley
• 1964: Richard Seabrook
• 1967: James Hughes
• 1977: Sydney Tierney
• 1991: Audrey Wise
• 1997: Marge Carey
• 2006: Jeff Broome

References [link]

External links [link]

• USDAW website

Organized labour portal

This article related to a United Kingdom trade union is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e