British labour union.
The Dockers' Union (founded 1889) took the lead in the merger of 14 unions to form the TGWU in 1922. The union grew rapidly under the leadership of Ernest Bevin (192240). As a general union it was able to enroll workers excluded by the craft unions, and its membership included workers engaged in transportation industries (except the railroads) as well as in the automotive, construction, chemical, and textile industries. It exerted a strong influence on British labour policy and was the largest British union during much of the 20th century, reaching a peak of more than two million members in the 1970s, though its membership declined thereafter. See also Labour Party ; Trades Union Congress .